Guarding It All
by Cherette
Summary: Five years after Edward left, Bella finds herself in the hands of the Volturi. The thing is, she is still human. When the Cullens visit Volterra, how will they react to finding Bella working for the Volturi? Will she accept them back into her life? ExB
1. Favorite Accident

Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape or form own Twilight. Damn. However, I do own an awesome car. ;)

**A/N: Hey! Cherette here. So this is my first try at a FanFic. Please let me know what you think!! **

**I know this one is short but I promise that they will get longer!**

**Now… To The Good Shit!**

* * *

Chapter One

BPOV

Five years.

That was how long it has been since I have seen my Edward.

Five agonizingly long years.

When he left he had told me that my memories of him would fade and that I would forget him, but I have no such luck. My memory of Edward is painfully clear—never fading. I just wish that he would come back, talk to me again, hold me again, kiss me again, and… love me again.

But now, any hope I had of him ever returning to me was dwindling. I had to face the fact that I was never going to see my love—my angel—ever again.

I was absolutely positive that he had moved on without me. I mean, why wouldn't he? He said he didn't love me, he said that he wanted me to move on, and he said that he would easily find new distractions.

I felt hot tears flood my eyes at that thought.

I was only a distraction…

Even though we were an accident, he would always be my favorite one. Edward was impossible to let go of. I loved him with all of my heart. Even after all of this time. I would not trade the time we spent together for anything…

…even though it landed me _here._

Castle Volterra, living amongst the feared Voltouri. While I was not the only human living in the castle, I was the only human who was considered part of the guard. However, I wasn't the only one here against their will.

All members of the guard are chosen for their powers. And when the Voltouri choose someone for their guard, it isn't someone with a meager, parlor trick, of a power. Nope. Not these guys.

The Voltouri only assimilated the most powerful and potentially destructive powers into their ranks. And, unfortunately for me, I was one of their most elite and trusted guards and I am still _human._

I sighed, pulling my self out of my reverie. Stepping out of the shower I combed through my unruly hair, drying it quickly. I slipped on the mandatory black robe required of all of the members of the Voltouri. My robe was shorter that everyone else's, it came just above my knee, due to the fact that I kept tripping over the length of the other robes. Even though my clumsiness was hilarious to all of my graceful colleagues, it apparently "ruined the intimidating effect" that the guard usually presents when they are out on all of the business trips.

My robe also had a blue line around the hems of the bottom, sleeves, neckline and the inside of the hood was also blue. Mine was not the only one with this color on it. The blue was a symbol for a _Commandante_. All others is my rank wore the same blue lined robes.

Different colors of robes meant different things. The three leaders of us—Aro, Marcus, and Caius—sported red lined robes indicating that they were our leaders. Other's robes varied from yellow to green. I had never really bothered to figure out the other colors meanings; I just knew that they all had to answer to either me, Demitiri, Felix, Heidi, Alec and Jane.

I walked out of the bathroom into my bedroom. It was plain and boring; I had nothing I wanted to put in it to decorate. I didn't even bother.

Besides, an empty, barren room suited me perfectly because that was exactly how I felt—empty, plain and boring. There was nothing of Bella left inside me. She died five years ago along with all of my hopes of a blissful eternity with the Cullens and Edward.

I grabbed my black ankle boots and slid them on. I wasn't really comfortable with the fact that they had a three and a half inch heel on them but nevertheless I wore them anyways. The extra height they gave me made me feel superior; like I was in control of something for once.

I teetered out of the room and down the hall. I passed a few people—well, technically vampires—as I made my way towards the turret room, exchanging a few pleasant "hello's" and "how are you's" before I continued along.

I was almost to the double oak doors leading into the turret room when I tripped. Damned heels. I braced my self for impact, desperately hoping I wouldn't cut myself. Just before my face greeted the floor for its daily meeting, someone grabbed me from behind, letting out a low chuckle.

"Sorry I interrupted your date with the ground, Bella." Felix said smiling. "I am not sure that date would have turned out too well. I just know you two wouldn't get along very well."

"Haha, Felix." I said, smoothing out my robes. "Thanks for doing that… again. Do you think I will ever stop falling?"

He looked me up and down, putting a finger to his chin as though he was seriously thinking about it. "Nope! You will always be clumsy old Bells!" He declared while I just glared at him. "But don't worry kiddo, we all love just the way you are."

"Thanks. It is nice to know that someone out their cares." I sighed as I resumed my journey towards the turret room. Felix walked next to me with a somber look on his face.

"You know if I ever get a chance, I will gladly teach Cullen a lesson. No one messes with my little buddy and gets away with it." Felix said, glancing over at me as he opened one of the doors for me.

"Just leave him be Felix. It was his decision to make and we have no right to punish Edward for that. If had loved me then it would have worked out. But sadly it was just a one ended relationship." I told him looking intently at my shoes as I walked into the room.

I heard Felix sigh beside me and I could tell he was about to start on one of his infamously long-winded lectures but I was saved.

"Bella! How did you sleep last night?" I heard Aro call to me. I looked up to see him gliding over to me, the red hem of his robe barely touching the ground.

I gave him a hug and smiled. "Good morning Aro. I slept fine last night, thank you for asking." I lied. And I knew he knew. I didn't sleep well. I never did. I had developed a severe case of insomnia when Edward left. I missed falling asleep in his arms, listening to my lullaby.

"Well, how about you go out to breakfast this morning? I know you hate the meals we have here, considering no of us have cooked anything in decades!" I had to laugh at his exuberance. It was definitely something to behold.

I thanked Aro, said my good bye to Felix and him before heading towards the doors that led to the city of Volterra. It had been too long since I had been outside and gotten some decent food. Aro was sure as hell not lying when he said that I hated their meals. These people couldn't cook! I was trying to teach them but I was certain that it was a lost cause.

Oh well, I thought, as I mashed the button for the elevator. I was humming a soft tune to myself when the doors opened and my jaw dropped.

"Bella?" The woman asked.

**Uh-Ooh! Cliffie!**

**Alright so, how was it?**

**--Shit?**

**--Err… Okay?**

**--Stellar!**

**I wont know unless you tell me!**


	2. Of Lattes and Booties

Disclaimer: I dont own Twilight. However, I do own a nifty pair of toe socks with smiley faces on each toe. ;)

Hello again my loves!

I hope the first chapter was good enough for you guys.

I bet that the person in the elevator isn't who you thought it was!! _immaturely sticks her tongue out_

Indulge you curiosity, loves, with Chapter Two!

* * *

Chapter Two

BPOV

_I was humming a soft tune to myself when the doors opened and my jaw dropped._

"_Bella?" The woman asked._

"Bella, is that you?" She asked again.

My mouth was hanging open still, so I quickly composed myself and answered. "Yeah, it's me." I told her trying to stifle a laugh.

There standing in the elevator, with bags from just about every boutique in Italy, was Heidi. I wondered how she knew it was me standing there since she probably couldn't see around any of the bags piled in front of her face.

"Well, are you just going to stand there sweetie, or are you going to help a fellow woman in need?" Heidi asked, stepping out of the elevator, her bags teetering dangerously.

I couldn't hold it in anymore… I had to laugh. "Is there anything left in the stores?" I asked her as she set down her bags on a nearby couch. "I mean, seriously, you have the rest of eternity to shop. Why buy everything right now?"

"No Bella, you don't understand!" She whined looking at all of her bags longingly. "The world today uses computer and technology for _everything._ I want to be able to go to a mall while they still have them! Internet shopping is so boring."

Heidi smiled at me as though she has just explained how to do an impossible Calculus problem.

"You remind me so much of..." I trailed off. I still wasn't able to say any of the Cullen's names without feeling intense pain.

Realization dawned on Heidi's face.

"Oh… right; them." She said, drawing out the "them."

"Yeah, _them._" I sighed. I wondered briefly if I would ever get over this aching pain. I had healed slightly in the time that I had spent with Jacob, but that was another story for another time.

"So, Bella… what were you going to do before you ran into little old me?" Heidi asked trying to dispel the awkwardness that usually came with the subject of the Cullen's.

"I was going to go into town to get some breakfast and then I think I have the rest of the day off since we aren't expecting any visitors today." I told her as she picked up most of her bags from where she had set them down at.

She looked up me as soon as I said that I was going into town with a gleam in her eye that I knew all too well. She started bouncing of the balls of her feet; her _assets_bouncing right along with her. Heidi smiled a huge smile before shoving the rest of her bags at me and pulling me towards her room. I really didn't feel like fighting her right now because I knew that I wouldn't get breakfast if I did, so I obliged and followed Heidi's bouncing form through the marble halls. We were getting a few looks from a few vampires we passed on our way to the room. But I couldn't blame them. A bouncing, giggling Heidi was definitely something to behold.

When we reached the end of one of the corridors, Heidi pulled me into a room that was definitely not hers. She waltzed over to a large armchair in the corner of the spacious room and dumped her bags in it. I followed suit, placing the bags I had next to the others before looking around, trying to figure out where we were.

Looking around I saw that the place was not a room, but a large closet. It actually looked like the inside of a Dillard's or Belk's. There were racks upon racks with hanging clothes. Most looked like they still had their original tags on them. Two of the walls were covered in shelves housing hundreds of shoe boxes and hat boxes. There were enough shoes to rival Imelda Marcos. (A/N: She had the largest shoe collection in the world I think. Correct me if I am wrong!) And then there was the purse and accessories wall! Holy crap! I never thought I would see this many bags before.

"Heidi, what is this place?" I breathed looking around the room with—I am sure—what was a shocked expression.

I looked over at Heidi who was rapidly unloading her shopping gains onto the coordinating racks at vampire speed. When she paused to examine a top, she answered me. "This is my closet. The ones provided in the rooms are much too small to accommodate my wardrobe." She told me, smiling.

"Wow." And it kept repeating in my head. _Wow, wow, wow… just wow._ She had a collection of clothes that could easily surpass all of the Cullen's closets put together. Alice may have just been beaten out of the top spot in my "Shopaholics" list.

"Here," Heidi called to me. "Put this on." She tossed me a cute grey sweater dress with a mock turtle neck.

"Isn't this yours though?" I questioned as I examined the dress. It was made of cashmere and it was from Ralph Lauren. It looked as though it would come to about mid thigh on me—which wasn't that bad considering some of the things Heidi had forced me into over the last few months.

"It is too small for me. I saw it and thought you might like it. It just kind of screamed "Bella!" at me when I walked by." She shrugged nonchalantly, examining her extensive shoe collection. "So I got it for you!" She giggled grabbing a shoe box off of the one of the middle shelves and a set of silver bangles, silver stud earrings, and a simple silver chain off of her jewelry rack.

Heidi appeared in front of me in a flash, causing me to jump slightly. I swear I would never get use to their super speed.

"Alright B," She told me, calling me by the pet name she had made up for me a few weeks ago. "I want you to put these on and then we will head out, get you your breakfast and then you will be getting a much needed wardrobe makeover." She smiled brilliantly, flashing me all of her glistening, deadly, teeth.

I groaned as she thrust the other things into my hands before pushing me towards the changing room that looked like what use to be a bathroom.

"Don't worry sweetie, you will get the last say in most of the things we pick up but you _will_be getting some new things, I can guarantee you that much." I could hear the excitement in her voice. It couldn't hurt to humor her for today I guess. I mean, what else was I going to do? Wallow in self pity? Yep, sounds about right. Maybe some girl time would be good for me and help keep my mind off of _him_ for a little while.

Maybe.

I slipped on the dress and the jewelry before retrieving the shoe box. Thankfully it wasn't anything unmanageable. It was a pair of grey oxford booties. They had a heel but since the booties laced up, hopefully they would stay in place. I had been getting better at walking in heels but deep down inside, I was still the klutz I always was.

I slid the shoes on and grabbed my previous outfit and walked out of the dressing room. Heidi was at one of the mirrors putting in colored contacts so that her vibrant red eyes wouldn't stand out as much. She turned when she heard me come out of the room and smiled.

"I did good." She congratulated herself. I set down the shoe box and other clothes in a pile in the corner before dropping the contents of my other purse into the bag she had given me. Once I finished, Heidi grabbed my arm, linking it with hers, before she pulled me out of the room and down the hall, chattering about all the places that she wanted to take me into. I listened half way as I let my thoughts wander to happier things.

I thought about Charlie, Renee, and Phil. Were they okay? Did they miss me? I thought about Jake and the rest of the friends I had made in La Push. As my thoughts wandered, I found myself inching my way towards the vault in my head of my locked up thoughts; the ones that I didn't want to revisit. I had stored all of my memories of the Cullen's in here and I so desperately wanted to open the vault door and let myself remember and spend a few moments with _him_ in our meadow. But it was too painful and I didn't want to chance losing those few precious memories.

"… and Dior just got a new shipment of evening gowns that would be perfect for one of Aro's extravagant parties. Oh! And Oscar De La Renta has some gorgeous suits and formal wear that you could wear for one of those tours that we have to give to guests! You would look positively smashing!" Heidi rambled on as the elevator doors opened and we strolled out and into Volterra.

We ended up stopping at a little café near the mall. I got a latte and a pastry while Heidi flirted with a guy that was sitting near our table. I had to chuckle at her antics as she gave the guy a fake number. He obviously wasn't going to be getting any tonight from this blonde bombshell.

After my breakfast, we headed towards the mall. Heidi went on a clothing rampage, shoving me into a dressing room and thrusting outfit after outfit into the small room. I managed to survive four hours of torture before Heidi declared that I had enough clothes to get me through the next week or two. I don't know how she figured that since she bought me about thirty complete outfits. I was going to complain about the price but Heidi shushed me saying that the Volturi had been around for a very very long time; and being around that long, the money tends to accumulate. Apparently they had a nearly endless bank account.

We had to call a few of our friends come to help carry the bags there were so many! When Demitri arrived, he simply rolled his eyes at me before grabbing a load of bags and returning to the castle. Heidi told me that this was quite common when she went shopping. She definitely had a tendency to go overboard.

We made our way back into the castle through the main entrance and right past the turret room. When we passed by the two oak doors to the turret room, Aro stuck his head out.

"Bella?" Aro called.

"Yeah?" I asked turning around after telling Heidi to go ahead to my room to drop off some of the bags in my room. It probably wasn't the best idea though; my old clothes would probably end up being turned into ashes in the corner of one of the furnaces.

"Bella, we have some guests coming in tomorrow from a ways away and I would like it if you were there to greet them, bring them back to the castle and give them the standard tour. And don't worry, they know they are to behave." He told me with a wink.

"Of course Aro." I told him. I hadn't given a tour to anyone in a while after my last guest took a snap at me when he thought I wasn't looking. Thankfully I was able to stop him with my power before he could get to me.

Aro chuckled recounting what had happened too.

"Well, their plane lands at twelve thirty tomorrow and you will be taking the limo because there are a few of them coming." He told me, going through the check list of what I needed to know. "Oh and I would like you to ask Heidi to help you pick out a nice outfit since she has done this before and knows what type of attire is appropriate. I trust you Bella and I would like you to keep in mind that these are some very old friends of mine and I don't want to jeopardize our relationship, okay?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows at me.

"Sure, sure. It will not be a problem." I assured him.

His ruby eyes sparkled with happiness. "Thank you Bells! Oh and please stay alert; I do not want a repeat of last time. And considering that there are going to be multiple vampires in the car with you, I want you to be extra careful in everything you do. Remember, we aren't sure how long your power can protect you for and I don't want to lose you." Aro smiled at me pulling me into a hug.

I returned the hug lightly and pulled away.

"Thank you Aro. I will come see you tomorrow before I leave." I told him. "In the meantime, I have to go find an outfit and I am sure Heidi will be all but burning my previous wardrobe."

Aro chuckled before nodding, dismissing me.

I grabbed my bags before skipping off towards my room, happy that Aro was finally giving me something to do again. Depending on what limo he let me use, I would probably get to drive. That definitely brightened my outlook even more!

I opened the door of my room waltzing in to search for the "perfect outfit."

* * *

A/N: Alright so I hope you liked that. For all of you who might be wondering, YES, I do know what Bella's power is. YES, you will find out soon. And, YES, you will find out why Bella is in Volterra with the Volturi soon too!

Tell me your thoughts; I can't read your mind like Edward can!

I will probably update sometime within the next week it just depends on how much time I have to write!

Cherette


	3. Who Knew

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do own a ridiculous amount of tennis shoes though! (cough… 13 pairs… cough)

**Thank you for your awesome review on my last chapter!**

**A few little shout-outs to those anonymous reviewers out there:**

**--(): **Thank you so much for that stellar review! That really rocked my day! I feel bad that I can't directly reply to you through your review since it was anonymous but I thank you for reviewing! I am happy that this story isn't one of those "repetitive plots" like you mentioned, I really didn't want this to fall into that category! Thanks Hunny! I hope to hear from you more!

**--** I am glad that most of you seem to like the idea of a little bit of Edward's POV in this story, I think I will throw some of him in here for entertainment later on in the story… or next chapter.

--____________________________________________________________--

I love hearing from all of you guys out there!! I will try my best to reply to your reviews—all of them!—but if I don't respond to one of your reviews, I am very sorry! Don't shoot!

Any questions?? Send me a message, review, or email. I will be most likely to reply to the email since they get delivered directly to my cell phone. =D

Anyways, here is more of what you really want!** Chapter THREE. This will be the last chapter leading up to the main plot, so just bear with me through this!  
**

* * *

Chapter Three

BPOV

I was really excited for today. I wanted everything to be perfect; flawless. I couldn't afford to mess up again. I really liked giving the tours and playing hostess for a few hours and if I messed up or there was another mishap, I might get permanently removed from guide duty.

Heidi and I had kicked it into over-drive trying to make myself look presentable. Normally, I would have been wandering around the castle in my black and blue uniform robe but we weren't allowed to wear them to greet guests. Something about trying to remain unnoticed and a black flowing robe was not exactly inconspicuous.

After a few hours of digging through every bag of clothing Heidi and I had ever bought, looking for something that said "Hi I am Bella, and if you try to take a snap at my ass, I will kick yours," we came across something that fit the bill perfectly.

I was now standing in front of the three floor-to-ceiling length mirrors in Heidi's enormous closet, examining myself.

And my reflection wasn't too shabby.

"Alright Bella," Heidi said, coming up behind me with a box of shoes. "I went out and bought these for you while you were sleeping this morning. I had to pull a few strings and call in a few favors for them but it was worth it. You will look drop-dead gorgeous in these bitches. Not only that, but your legs will look like they go on for _miles_ sweetie." She smiled, gently setting the box in my waiting arms.

"Now don't panic about the cost or what-not, remember, this is an extra special occasion that requires extra special shoes. Okay?" Heidi asked while I just nodded my head in agreement. This must be one hell of a pair of shoes.

"Well, what are you waiting for B? Open them!" Heidi giggled and started bouncing… again.

"Alright, alright, don't get your knickers in a knot." I smiled before settling myself into a corner armchair so that I could set the box in my lap to open it.

I took a deep breath and slowly lifted the top off of the large rectangular box, the smell of leather hitting my nose. When I looked down, I was blown away. The shoes were absolutely gorgeous and would match everything perfectly! Sitting in the box was a pair of burgundy leather, closed-toe, heels. It had a four inch heel but the zipper on the side would hopefully keep them in place without too much difficulty. I pulled them both out of the box and grabbed the tissue paper out of the toes of the heels. I slid them both on carefully, trying my best to keep them scuff free for as long as possible. Heidi zipped them both up for me. She stood and offered her hands to me and pulling me off the arm-chair and over towards the mirror.

Once I was standing in front of the mirrors, Heidi pulled away, clapping happily at her marvelous choice of shoes. And I had to admit, she had excellent taste.

I was wearing a long-sleeved burgundy shirt that was formfitting with buttons up the front. Only the bottom three buttons were buttoned, the top of the shirt hung open exposing my black lacy camisole. I was wearing a dark denim skirt that came to mid-thigh and hugged my arse quite nicely, accentuating its curve. The skirt was held up by a black silk scarf tied haphazardly around my waist. And then there was the shoes… oh God, those shoes!

Heidi had also decided that my hair and make up needed to be done in order to coordinate with my clothes. She had run out to Lord and Taylor while she was picking up my shoes so that she could buy burgundy and black make up and hair accessories. I had sat there for an hour while she attacked my head.

The end result? It was gorgeous—I hardly even recognized myself. These vampire women could work wonders on hair and make up! My eyes had a thin line of burgundy on my lower lid with a lot of mascara and black eye-shadow on my upper lid. My cheeks were dusted with a slightly sparkling bronzer brush. Apparently I didn't need any blush; I could cover that aspect of my face on my own without any help. My lips were left their natural color with only a little clear gloss. And my hair! It was pulled back on the top in a black clip, the rest of it falling in soft waves past my shoulders. And to add to the burgundy theme, Heidi had taken some form of temporary hair dye and strategically placed burgundy streaks all throughout my hair, making it look… well… sexy.

With a long black necklace and bangles, I was finished.

"Heidi!" I squealed, throwing my arms around her neck. "You are amazing!"

Heidi just chuckled, hugging me back. "Love ya too B."

I pulled my phone out of my black tote bag and checked the time. Four past ten in the morning. I had to leave in less than ten minutes and I still had to go see Aro one last time.

"Alright," I began, throwing my bag over my shoulder. "I have got to go see Aro and then leave, so I guess I will see you in a few hours."

"Good luck cutie!" Heidi giggled pecking me on the cheek and promptly pushing me out of the door with a smack to my ass.

I had to laugh at Heidi's antics as I made my way towards the main room to find out where Aro was. When I walked into the greeting hall, Gianna waved me over. "Hey Bella, Aro is in his office waiting for you." She smiled.

"Thanks." I told her as I turned towards Aro's office.

She called after me, "Good Luck!"

I smiled over my shoulder before knocking on the doors. I only had to wait a second before o heard Aro call me in. I pushed the heavy door open with a little effort and walked in. Aro was sitting behind his large wooden desk, Felix and Demitri sitting in the chairs opposite of him. When I walked in, both Felix and Demitri's heads snapped towards me, blatantly ogling my ensemble. They jumped up, offering me their chairs but I declined. I was only staying for a second but I was touched that they had even offered. Felix always treated me like a little sister, but Demitri usually kept his distance from me. Heidi must have made me look really good even to vampire eyes!

"Okay, Aro, I am going to leave but I promised I would drop by first so I kept my promise. Anything else I need to know before heading out?" I asked, fidgeting with the scarf-belt.

"Let's see," Aro paused as he looked at his computer monitor. "Their flight is early, so I suggest that you drive their separately in your car so that you can get there before the limo and not keep them waiting. I will have Felix drive the limo there for you and he can drive your car back if you would like."

I nodded my head, smiling as I saw Felix playfully wink at me from the corner of my eye.

"If that is everything, I will be leaving now." I said to Aro. He smiled at me, his red eyes sparkling brightly. He stood up, grabbing a marker board and an Expo marker from beside his desk and handed it to me.

"They will be expecting a sign saying 'Dr. Fang and Friends' okay?" He laughed as I chuckled too.

_This should get a laugh out of our visitors,_ I thought as I excused myself from the office.

"Hey, Gianna, I need the keys to my car." I requested as the beautiful brunette dug around one of the drawers for my keys.

"The McLaren or the Carving Concept?" she asked as she dangled both keys in front of my face.

"Umm… the McLaren I guess. I don't need to be driving a convertible in the rain." I told her grabbing the keys.

"Here you go, have fun! I know you haven't driven that thing in a while!" She smiled.

She was right. It had been at least a month since I last got dive my beautiful car. Normally I would have thrown a fit over the ostentatious car but this car was just too beautiful of a gift to turn down. It was everything I ever could want in a car. I walked into the enormous hanger full of cars and immediately spotted mine.

It was a welcome to Volterra present from Aro, Marcus, and Caius. And it was by far the best gift I had ever received.

The car was the rare Mansory Renovatio Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. It had a gold paint job and it positively sparkled—almost as much as a vampire in sunlight!

The sleek body of the car, laid low to the ground so that I could drive fast while maintaining stability and balance. The car was built for speed and it was mine.

I ran my hand appreciatively across the buffed hood, admiring the fact that I could literally see everything in it as thought it was a gold tinted mirror. I slid into the driver's seat inhaling the scent of leather and vanilla from the air freshener tucked safely under my seat. I slipped the key into the ignition and listened to the gentle purr of the engine and I woke it from its sleep. Gently pressing my foot to the gas, the car glided forwards with the gracefulness of a jungle cat on the prowl, it also had the same predatory look to it. No one would expect little old Bella Swan of Forks Washington to be navigating this beast of a car.

I pulled out into Volterra, happy to find minimal traffic, and sped off towards the airport. I had a good forty five minute drive ahead of me, so I plugged my iPod Touch in as I sped down the highway. I hit shuffle and P!ink's "Who Knew" came blasting through the speakers.

_You took my hand  
You showed me how  
You promised me you'd be around  
Uh huh  
That's right  
I took your words  
And I believed  
In everything  
You said to me  
Yeah huh  
That's right_

If someone said three years from now  
You'd be long gone  
I'd stand up and punch them out  
Cause they're all wrong  
I know better  
Cause you said forever  
And ever  
Who knew

I audibly sighed as I felt myself getting dragged down by the lyrics to this song. I wonder if P!nk knew just how right she was when she was singing this? It was an amazingly accurate version of my view of my relationship with _him_. I could have sworn that we were going to be together forever. I had prayed every night, as I lay in his arms, that Alice's vision of me becoming one of the Cullen's would miraculously come true.

Remember when we were such fools  
And so convinced and just too cool  
Oh no  
No no  
I wish I could touch you again  
I wish I could still call you friend  
I'd give anything

When someone said count your blessings now  
'fore they're long gone  
I guess I just didn't know how  
I was all wrong  
They knew better  
Still you said forever  
And ever  
Who knew

Yeah yeah  
I'll keep you locked in my head  
Until we meet again  
Until we  
Until we meet again  
And I won't forget you my friend  
What happened

I had to remind myself that this was just a song, I was getting chocked up thinking about the Cullens and how much I missed them. I had to take a few deep breaths before I started crying and ruining the make up that Heidi had worked so hard on.

_  
If someone said three years from now  
You'd be long gone  
I'd stand up and punch them out  
Cause they're all wrong and  
That last kiss  
I'll cherish  
Until we meet again  
And time makes  
It harder  
I wish I could remember  
But I keep  
Your memory  
You visit me in my sleep  
My darling  
Who knew _

I when the song ended, I almost hit the back button so that I could listen to it again, but I didn't want to risk crying. So I let it continue to the next song. I sang along with the other songs at the top of my lungs, trying to forget about my near melt-down.

I had gone through O.A.R., Katy Perry, Duffy, Rhianna, and I had just started on my George Michael and Wham! collection when I arrived at the airport. I glanced at the clock, determining that I had about fifteen minutes before the plane landed, I spent some extra time trying to find a decent parking place.

Once I was parked, and certain that the car next to me would not ding my finish, I grabbed my purse and the marker board, heading into the airport to figure out which terminal I would be venturing to in order to receive the guests.

I studied the flight board and saw that the plane was just touching down on the air strip and would be unloading within the next few minutes. I sat down on a chair near the baggage claim and pulled out my phone, deciding to entertain my boredom with a quick round of Brick Breaker **(A/N: Awesome game! Though I do prefer Pong to it. That statement definitely dates me.)**

When I saw people start to trickle out of security and head towards the baggage carousel, I stood up, grabbed the marker board and wrote "Dr. Fang and Friends" in bold purple letters across the white surface and held it in front of my chest as I turned my attention back to my game of Brick Breaker until they arrived.

I was so absorbed in my game that I didn't notice the group of seven gorgeous people walk up to me.

"Ahem," Someone cleared their throat, getting my attention.

I looked up into the eyes of my guests and gasped sharply, the marker board and my phone dropped to the floor, sliding under the chairs in the terminal.

"Shit." I mumbled.

* * *

EPOV

Carlisle was sitting across from me in the first class section of the plane we were in. Esme was sitting next to him. I looked around at the rest of my family, realizing that there was a pattern here that I wasn't a part of.

Alice and Jasper sat together. Rosalie and Emmett sat together… and me? Well, I sat pretty much by myself, with the exception of the repulsive smelling human snoring unabashedly to my left.

No human smelled good anymore. They all smelled the same as that revolting human food that they were passing out on the plane. One of these pathetic humans could slit their throat, spilling all their blood, right in front of me and I wouldn't flinch or even be remotely tempted to taste their blood.

My senses had been spoiled.

I had been with Bella for so long, smelling her for so long, that I had grown amazingly desensitized to the draw of her blood but the scent had still been there. The only difference was that it wasn't like I had wanted to pounce her and drain her blood but more like taking a whiff of a fragrant flower. It was beautiful smelling my not appealing to the taste buds.

_Bella…_

I sighed audibly, running a hand through my hair. God, I missed her. I had stayed away for five years, but my control was slowly slipping. At some times I would find myself looking at plane tickets to Port Angeles, considering buying them, but stopping myself at the last second.

_Edward,_ Carlisle's thoughts called to me. _You miss her terribly, don't keep torturing yourself like this. You need to go back and see her, even if it is only to check and make sure that she is as happy as you claim she is without you. _

I knew he was right but I also knew that if I got close enough to see her, or even smell her, I would not leave. It was taking all of my control to stay away now but I was able to do it because I couldn't see the temptation. If she was anywhere near me though… I would surely lose it.

I shook my head at Carlisle, letting him know that I had no intention of going back. His thoughts were frustrated with me and worried about me but he let the topic drop, and turned his attention to Esme.

A second later Alice gasped from the row behind me, but before I could read her thoughts and figure out the reason for the gasp, she had effectively blocked me by recalling every single boutique in Paris by alphabetical order and then what exactly she had bought in each shop.

"Alice," I hissed, too low for the humans to hear. "What did you see?"

All members of my family were now looking intently at Alice who had an evil little smirk on her face as she looked over everyone before settling her eyes on me.

"This is going to be one hell of a visit." She commented before adverting her gaze out of the slightly fogged window, obviously not revealing any more about her latest vision.

When we had received an invitation from Aro to come and visit him in Italy, Carlisle thought that it wouldn't be smart to turn him down, so here we were, on a plane during Thanksgiving break at school, on our way to Volterra.

Alice had been keeping tabs on Aro since we got the invitation to see if he had some type of hidden agenda but she had found nothing suspicious. We were still taking every precaution that might be necessary.

Aro apparently expected us to stay at the castle with him, too, which was highly suspicious but we wouldn't know what he was up to until we got there and I could read his thoughts. I doubted that he had any clue as to the powers that my family possessed and we weren't willingly going to let him know what they were either.

The plane had started its decent and I looked out at the beautiful country of Italy. I had been here only once before but it had been on much happier terms.

Our family stayed seated until everyone had disembarked before we exited the plane. We casually made our way to the baggage claim to grab our luggage.

Once everyone had gathered their bags, Carlisle turned towards me.

"Okay Edward, there should be someone waiting for us holding a sign that says 'Dr. Fang and Friends' on it." I raised my eyebrow at him while Jasper and Emmett snickered beside me. "I guess it is Aro's attempt at being funny." He rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, they said they were sending a human so that it would be more inconspicuous. Could you do a quick mind sweep so that we don't have to do this the hard way?" I just nodded and began surfing through the brains of the people in the terminal.

There were hundreds of thoughts bombarding my head but none of them were thinking about us or anything remotely related to it.

I searched for one more minute to ascertain that I wasn't really missing anything before giving up.

"Sorry but none is thinking about it. I guess we search on foot from here." I informed them. Jasper grumbled something about my mind being broken as we set off to find our chauffer.

I had my head down, starting intently at the patterns on the floor when Emmett stopped abruptly in front of me. If I hadn't of read his thoughts a second before, I would have crashed into him.

I heard him let out a long string of profanities as the rest of our family came up beside him to figure out what was up. I was still staring at Emmett confused when I heard a gasp from Esme and Rosalie and a giggle from Alice. I looked at them to see them looking straight ahead where Emmett's eyes were trained at.

I looked up wondering what this was about when it hit me. Someone opened a door sending a gust of cool air at my face. The air was laced with the distinct smell of freesias... of Bella.

The first thing I saw was the sign that said 'Dr. Fang and Friends' on it in a very familiar sloppy script. And holding the sign was my Bella, my beautiful Bella. She looked as gorgeous as ever, her body had definitely matured a lot in the past five years. She was more toned and she looked more durable than the delicate girl I used to know. But still the same somehow.

We walked up to where she was standing—all of us with different expressions of confusion on our faces- except for Alice whom had know this was coming.

After a minute, when she didn't look up from her phone, Carlisle cleared his throat to get her attention.

She looked up, her beautiful brown eyes colliding with mine. She gasped, dropping the board and her phone on the floor, not bothering to pick them up.

And then she opened her mouth to speak. I couldn't wait to hear her beautifully melodic voice again.

And what word fell from those heavenly lips?

"Shit."

* * *

How did you like the whole EPOV? Should I just give up on doing his POV or was it acceptable?

Thanks to all of my fabulous readers and reviewers!

**Next Chapter:** Bella and the Cullens have a talk.


	4. I'm Not Alright Though I Pretend To Be

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. However, I do own a twelve pound dictionary! (Not even kidding!)

Okay, okay!

Some of those reviews you guys sent made me laugh so hard. My friends were watching movies with me (horror films to be exact) when I start laughing at the reviews I was getting. They were all giving me funny looks since there was nothing funny about the movie.

**A quick little shout-out here to an awesome anonymous reviewer:**

**Chris: **You are absolutely hilarious! I want you to know that I seriously thought about Bella actually doing that little tirade but I decided not to go too OOC on this story. But, I cannot lie, that would have been funny as hell! I feel bad that I can't reply to your review so consider this your reply! Maybe Bella will consider killing Aro…. Hmm…

**And also to:**

**TwilightFreak Number 1: **I made it by the deadline you gave me! Yay! I can now avoid the impending "fork in the throat" as you so eloquently put it! Thanks for getting me to post faster! Hope this is good enough for you!!!

Alright everyone! Are you ready to read and find out what happens next in the silly little world of my imagination?

And now to more of what you really came for (though I don't mind talking to you guys either!) **Chapter FOUR!**

**

* * *

**

Chapter Four

BPOV

I felt my cheeks immediately burn hot with my blush. I cannot believe that I haven't seen these people in five years and the first thing they hear me say is "Shit."

My mouth was hanging open as I tried to form a coherent apology. I was beyond my normal tomato red when Emmett burst out laughing.

"Hello to you too Bella!" Emmett practically yelled, causing a hew people to shoot us annoyed glares.

I was still trying to figure out what to say when Emmett and Alice attacked me from all different sides, enveloping me in their strong arms.

"Oh my, God! Oh my, God!" Alice squealed into my ear making me cringe at the high pitched tone she used. Any higher and dolphins would start coming after us.

I finally was able to find my voice. "Hey guys." I squeaked out breathlessly. I didn't think I could last much longer under their crushing arms. "I think I need to breathe! Emmett... Alice..." I gasped greedily for air when they released me from the hug of death.

"Holy crap. I really wasn't expecting you guys to be my group today. Give me one minute." I said, holding up a finger to let them know to give me a second. I reached down and picked up my phone, inspecting it for any major damage that the fall might have caused. I pulled up my messages and sent a text to Aro.

_-Aro_

_Consider yourself dead_.

_-B_

I sent the text. I was pissed that Aro didn't tell me that I would be giving the Cullen's the tour. I should probably find them a new guide; surely they wouldn't want me showing them around for a few hours today.

I looked up to see the faces of seven beautiful vampires looking back at me expectantly, their honey-gold eyes shining beautifully. I looked at each one of them-with the exception of the one I couldn't bear to make eye contact with- and decided that I would find out how they wanted to settle this matter.

"Alright everyone, I am going to give you a choice here." I smiled trying to appear at ease when inside I was truly a massive wreck of emotions that were threatening to take me over at any minute. The force of them was so overwhelming that I felt as though my knees would surely buckle. The Cullens nodded at me, urging me to continue. "Okay so I am suppose to be your designated your guide for the day, however, I can always get someone else to show you around if you would be more comfortable with that."

I looked at them. Esme was smiling lovingly at me. Carlisle's expression matched Esme's. Rosalie was... Wait! Rose was looking at me with a slight smile on her face. Wow! Jasper was smiling at me from a distance, he still seemed unsure of his control. Alice was standing in front of Jasper bouncing uncontrollably and grinning like a madman. It was sort of freaky. Emmett was still standing next to me, not having moved since he let go of me. It was amusing to see his muscular body bouncing just as much as tiny Alice's but with a huge grin on his face, making him look like a gigantic toddler.

I took a deep breath, the nerves hitting me full force. I turned my head slightly and looked to the last member of the Cullen family who was standing slightly off to the side. As my eyes met his, my heart started beating uncontrollably. I knew he could her it because a slight grin came to his face, but it wasn't enough to reach his eyes. Edward's god-like features were still the same—still the epitome of perfection. And for some strange reason, that surprised me. I knew that vampires didn't age but it still blew my mind that he would stay that perfect forever. Edward had his hands sitting lazily in the pockets of his distressed jean. And those jeans! The way they were hanging so dangerously low on his hips that it was just downright sinful. His long sleeved polo shirt was loose fitting while still accentuating his muscles. He was better than my mind could have ever conjured up.

I stood there gawking at his perfection for about a minute longer than I should have before I got my senses back and tore my eyes away from Edward.

"Don't be ridiculous Bella." Esme told me. "Of course we wouldn't want anyone else to show us around!" She smiled lovingly at me before pulling me into a hug. I when I hugged her back, she whispered in my ear. "You look lovely Bella, perhaps even more beautiful than before. It is a pleasure to see you again." Esme pulled away, giving me a kiss on the cheek, before joining Carlisle again.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, too, Esme." And then, for the first time in five years, I genuinely smiled. Let me tell you, it felt good. But my moment passed and it was back to business. I needed to make sure that they were _all_ okay with Esme's response.

"You guys sure? I can always get Demitri to give you the tour. He is definitely more practiced than I am. Truthfully, this is only going to be the second one that Aro has asked me to do. Though now I know why…" I trailed off, feeling Edward's intense gaze on me. Thankfully I saw Demitri and Felix roll a few luggage trolleys over right then so that they could collect the Cullen's bags. They waited patiently off to the side for my cue for them to come grab the bags.

"We are positive Bella!" Alice smiled. "Trust me, I know." She tapped her forehead. I had to roll my eyes and I smiled at her.

"Alright. Well if the Great Ali knows then it must be true." I shot at her sarcastically, but I made sure that there was a playful tone to it so that she knew that I was kidding. Apparently she got it because she giggled.

"The Great Ali… I like that one!" Alice mused. "You may call me that whenever you wish." I shot her a smile before bending over and grabbing the marker board off of the ground and placing it in the tote bag I had sitting on the terminal's chairs behind me. I slung the bag onto my shoulder before turning back to the Cullens.

"As you wish." I bowed towards her, making all of the Cullens laugh as Alice put her tiny fists on her hips, sticking her nose in the air. As the laughter died down, I glanced down as the screen of my phone. We had to get a move on.

"Well, since you say you don't mind, I will conduct your tour." I conceded though I had a feeling that this could get awkward, not to mention the fact that I was here, in Volterra, working with powerful, human-draining vampires. "How many rooms will you guys need for your stay?" I asked, switching into Professional Bella mode. "I am assuming four, right?"

"Hell yes! We are going to be roomies, Rosie!" Emmett grinned, clapping Rosalie on the back. She just rolled her eyes and shrugged his arm off. I let out a chuckle at Emmett's antics. I guess some people never change.

"Alright," I waved Demitri and Felix over. "Please let these two know whose bags will be going with whose so that we put them in the right room." As I spoke, four trolleys were wheeled in between me and the Cullens. And I had to laugh. "Hey, if Alice is still… well… Alice, you are going to need a few more of those things." Felix's eye grew wide as he glanced around, trying to figure out which one of the gold-eyed vampires was Alice.

"Don't worry Bella. I only brought about five bags. Carlisle made me pack light." She frowned at Carlisle.

We stood around for a minute longer so that Alice could supervise the loading of her suitcases. When the trolleys were packed up, I realized that we would be leaving the airport soon and I didn't know what I was expected to do. Should I ride in the limo with them? Should I drive the limo? Or should I take my car and meet them back at the castle? Ugh! I really wanted to ride with them so that I could be close to Edward, but then again, they had left me five years ago so the whole "we would love for you to be our guide" subject was just them being nice. So, my mind reluctantly told me that I should give them their space.

I switched back to the present, noticing that Demitri was loading the last bag. Show time…

"Awesome! Thank you Demitri, Felix." I nodded towards them. "Everyone else, if you will please follow you them to you limo." I forced a smile, giving them the short version in fear that my voice would crack with the overwhelming emotions internally attacking me.

Carlisle simply nodded and said a simple, "Thank you Bella," and started off after Demitri and Felix, who had begun to roll the carts towards the front doors. I kept my eyes trained on the luggage trolleys because I feared that if I let them wander, they would end up in places where they shouldn't be… namely Edward.

The rest of the family started off after Carlisle, except Edward. I could feel his eyes on me again but I refused to crack. It was difficult, but I managed to walk in the opposite direction the rest of them had gone in. My entire being was screaming at me; begging me to turn around and go back to where Edward was still standing at.

I had made it about ten feet before I heard the most magical sound in the world. I heard _his_ voice. My memory had not done the smooth velvet of his melodic voice justice.

"Bella?" Was all my angel said. Though it was only one word, it was the most beautiful word I had heard in the last five years. My heart stopped before kicking into over drive.

I turned slowly, not trusting my legs anymore in these heels. They had turned into Jell-O when I heard his musical voice.

"Yes Ed…" I couldn't say it. His name got caught in my throat. I tried again, but got the same result. And then I felt it.

The hole in my heart that had been ripped open five years ago—that I had sealed shut and hidden from everyone—appeared again. All of my walls fell in that moment, and the tightly locked safe, that contained my locked up emotions, burst open, all of them spilling forth at once. I almost lost my façade and my carefully constructed mask of faux happiness. Somehow, even through the war raging in my heart, I was able to force a smile and recover enough to speak.

"Edward?" I breathed, attempting to sound nonchalant but when I voiced his name, and intense feeling of longing, loss, and pain ripped through me. Edward knew me better though, not buying one ounce of my act. He took a step towards me and I mirrored his movement as a reflex reaction. His glorious face was scrunched up in a questioning gaze, his eyes boring into mine. I couldn't look away. This was why I was trying to avoid his eyes, but I just had to look. Damn it Bella, when will you learn?

Edward stared right into my eyes, seeing straight through my careful mask. He looked away for a second before looking at me again. His eyes were pained and I instantly knew that he could see it all. My emotions and everything I had been closely guarding for these past five years.

I realized that he still hadn't said anything else. I wanted more than anything else for him to speak again.

"Did you need something Edward?" I questioned, my fingers childishly crossed behind my back as I prayed that God would consider me lucky enough to once again be graced with this angel's melodic voice.

"Yes. I was actually wondering why you were walking that way. They limo is the other direction." He smiled slightly at me, sending my heart into a frenzy.

I was dazzled.

_Damn it, stop looking into his eyes Bella!_

"I drove here. I kind of need to get me car. I will see you guys out front though. I still need to cover a few things about what is to be expected while you are staying with us." I managed to get out.

"_Us?_" Edward asked, his eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean by _us_?"

I really didn't want to get into this here so I dodged his question. "It is a long story." He opened his mouth but I cut him off. "And don't tell me that you 'have all the time in the world' because I have heard that line way too much for your kind." Edward closed his mouth and nodded at me, clearly amused by my little rant. "Anyways, I have to go get my car and you need to go find your family." I shot him a small smile before turning on my heel and stumbling towards the parking decks, my heart about to leap out of my chest.

As I neared my car, I quickened my pace, needing to escape to the familiar comfort of my car. I was pretty much running by the time I had reached the McLaren. I slid into the seat, slamming the door forcefully behind me, as all the emotions washed over me in one terrible wave.

It took about five minutes to calm myself down. I had managed to keep the tears at bay, so that saved me five more minutes of make up re-do's. I put the car into gear and turned my iPod on. If there was ever a time that I would need my music, it was now.

I maneuvered my way through the cars as I made my way to the front of the airport. When I saw the limo, I pulled up behind it. The vampires around the stretch Mercedes limo turned towards me as I opened my door, the sound of 3 Doors Down's "It's Not My Time" pouring out of the speakers.

I heard a low whistle and I looked up to see Rosalie stroking the hood of my car appreciatively. "Wow Bella. This is a beautiful car. What model is it?" She asked as she looked over the wheels. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Emmett and Jasper shake hands, probably just having bet that I didn't know what I was driving. Edward's eye roll confirmed it. Well I would show them!

"It is the Mansory Renovatio Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren." I told her. Rose's eyes widened.

"Those are really rare. How did you get one?" She was stunned.

"It was my 'Welcome to the Volterra, we are happy to have you join our ranks' present from Aro." I said as I rolled my eyes.

I heard a gasp and looked up to see Esme with her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. In fact, every one of the Cullens were staring at me in shock.

"Part of their _guard_?" Jasper hissed, eyeing Demitri and Felix with a murderous look in his eyes. Demitri and Felix both seemed uncomfortable by Jasper's gaze because they hurried over to me.

"Here Bella, take the keys to the limo, you are driving them." Felix told me, snatching the keys to the McLaren out of my hands. I looked to Demitri for an answer.

"Sorry B, I just don't like the vibes I keep getting from him. See you later." And with that, he kissed my cheek and jumped into the passenger seat of my car.

I watched—slightly shell-shocked—as my beautiful car sped away. "Well…" I said, not taking my eyes off of the speedily disappearing taillights. "I guess I have some explaining to do."

* * *

Sorry if there are any errors in here! I realized that I wasn't going to be able to put this up tomorrow because it is Halloween and I have some parties to attend!

Anyways, tell me what you think and I promise to work on the next few chapters on Sunday!

Thank you!!

--Chey

P.S.= all the explaining about Bella will be done in the next two chapters!


	5. Whole ShaBang And All That Jazz

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. There is a possibility that I own a ceramic rooster though!

Thank you for all those awesome reviews!!

I hope this chapter answers some of your questions. If not, feel free to ask me. I, of course, will answer to the best of my ability without revealing what is going to happen in this story.

Be sure to read the Author's Note that I put at the bottom of this chapter. I want to do something a little fun with all you guys!

**What happened last time?** Well it would that Demitri and Felix are running away from Jasper, Aro received a death threat, and Bella is stuck having to drive the Cullens back to Volterra while explaining everything.

And the tale continues…

Anyways… on to what you really want. **CHAPTER FIVE.**

* * *

"_Maybe if my heart stops beating, it won't hurt this much… I'm sure I will be pretending like I am tonight…" _

_--"Let This Go" Paramore_

Chapter Five

BPOV

_I watched—slightly shell-shocked—as my beautiful car sped away. "Well…" I said, not taking my eyes off of the speedily disappearing taillights. "I guess I have some explaining to do."_

I didn't really want to look at their faces. I knew that the Cullen's were feeling a mixture of shock and anger.

How did I know?

Jasper had decided to project their emotions, so I could feel all of it.

_Oh well,_ I thought to myself. _Here it goes._

I glanced down at the key ring in my hands, picking out the key for the ostentatious limo. "Does anyone want to drive?" I asked. I didn't really want to talk and drive at the same time.

"I will." My head snapped up as Rosalie came towards me. I handed her the keys questioningly. "I have always wanted to drive a limo. It is one of the few things that I haven't driven yet. Plus, I am curious as to how fast it goes!" She smiled, giving me a wink. Great, we were going to be driving fast. I groaned.

"Oh come on Bella!" Emmett whined. "You have a fickin McLaren, for crying out loud! Please don't tell me that you have never taken it above one hundred on the highway!"

I laughed. "Sorry Emmett, I have never taken the McLaren over ninety." I paused as all of the Cullens—except Esme—groaned before I continued. "However, I did take my F400 Carving Concept out on the Autobahn and I ended up going about one-ten, maybe one-twenty."

Rose turned on her heel and looked at me with an expression of pure shock on her face. "Oh, this is so not fair!" She complained, stamping her foot. It was really quite comical. "Why do you have such amazing cars? Seriously! What happened to the girl who drove a beat up red truck?" Rose cried throwing her hands up in the air dramatically.

"I believe that if we actually get in the limo and off this curb, Bella will tell us what happened to 'that girl who drove a beat up red truck' as you so eloquently put it Rose." Carlisle pointed out. Emmett snickered, receiving a slap outside the head from Rose.

"You can play around with both of them if you would like to Rose. I don't mind." I told her, which made her eyes light up happily. She mouthed a quick 'Thank you' at me before hopping into the driver's seat.

"Shall we?" I asked, motioning towards the Mercedes.

"Of course, dear." Esme said.

Edward walked over and opened the door to the back seat allowing Carlisle to help Esme in. Jasper led Alice into the car right after Carlisle had slid in. Emmett just plopped his massive self down onto the seat. It was then that I realized that it was just me and Edward standing together outside of the car.

I was wondering whether or not I should sit in the back with the family or up in the front with Rose.

I was about to head toward the front when Edward spoke.

"Are you going to get in or are you going stand out here in this chilly weather?" He inquired.

"I will get in I suppose." I said as he chuckled. As I ducked down into the limo, Edward placed his hand on the small of my back to guide me in. The contact with him was enough to make me shiver.

"Sorry." He apologized, taking his hand off of my back. I immediately felt the loss of his touch.

I slid into the massive car and situated myself next to Emmett on the couch opposite of Esme, Carlisle, Jasper, and Alice. Once I had sat down, Alice bounced over to my side, sandwiching me between her and Emmett, for which I was thankful. If Alice hadn't sat next to me I would have had to sit next Edward for the next hour and a half. Not that sitting next to him would be a bad thing—it certainly wouldn't be—I just didn't know how much close contact with Edward I could handle before I combusted.

As much as I hated to admit it, I still loved him. Even though I was positive he didn't love me back and he had caused me massive amounts of pain, I still loved him.

The topaz-eyed Greek god slid gracefully into the back of the limo, shutting the door and sitting next to Jasper. I noticed him giving Alice a glare and the little pixie just smirked. When Edward noticed me watching their private little conversation, he smiled politely.

"Let's get this show on the road Rosie!" Emmett hollered, smacking the headrest of Rosalie's chair.

The limo purred to life, gliding away from the curve and out into the airport traffic.

"Bella?" Rose called from the front.

"Yes ma'am?"

"How do you get to the castle?" She asked.

"Crap! Sorry Rosalie. I suppose you need those don't you?" Everyone laughed at me. I turned around in my seat to stick my head into the front part of the car so that I could point out things on the G.P.S. map to Rosalie. "Well, just take a left out on this road and we will have to drive until you see the exit sign that has a picture of a castle on it and says 'Volterra' in big letters. It shouldn't come up for about and hour and fifteen minutes though." Rose nodded her head as she swung a left out of the airport and sped up. "Once we get to the exit, I will have to switch with you. We aren't supposed to let any of our guests drive without Aro's permission. Plus, I don't think I could tell you how to get to the garage without a massive amount of confusion." She just nodded, pushing the limo faster as the highway opened up in front of us. I sat back down in my seat.

"So… Bella. You are part of the guard?" Jasper began, looking over me questioningly, trying to figure out how weak, human Bella landed herself a spot in the most elite and powerful force in the world.

"Yeah. I am a _Commandante_." I told him using the Italian word for Commander since it was my true title. Plus it sounded better.

Carlisle cleared his throat and I looked over to see his face full of shock. About that time, Edward gasped, reading Carlisle's thoughts and becoming just as shocked as he was.

"A _Commandante_?" Carlisle asked. "Bella, you do realize that you hold one of the most elite positions out of the entire guard? Your position is only surpassed by Aro, Marcus, and Caius themselves." By the time he had finished every single one of the vampires were looking at me in shock and awe, even Rosalie, who had turned around in her seat while still driving.

I dropped my gaze to my finger nails, suddenly becoming very interested in the nail polish I had on. "Yes, Carlisle, I am aware of my ranking." I mumbled.

Emmett laughed loudly. "You must be lethal Bella!" He guffawed.

_You have no idea how right you are, Emmett_, I thought. But I chose to say, "Yeah… lethal."

"How did that happen Bella?" Jasper asked.

"Where do you want me to start at?" I asked. There was five years worth of things that they could want to know about.

"Start from right after we…" Edward trailed off.

"…left." Alice finished for him, looking at me expectantly.

I sighed. Great. They want to know the whole sha-bang and all that jazz that comes with it. Here it goes…

"From the beginning. Alright… Five years ago, when you guys left, I wasn't Bella anymore. It was like I had become a shell of what I was before. Zombie like in a way. The only difference between me and the zombie, being that they had more life in them than I did." I began. I heard someone suck in a sharp breath but I refused to look up, too afraid to see their reactions.

"I locked myself away from the outside world as I tried to handle the pain and get it under control. I never truly succeeded at that though." I continued, trying my best to skim over this part. It wasn't something that I liked to remember.

"No Bella." Alice stopped me. "I want details. None of this pansy, weak stuff."

Of course Alice would know that I was going to leave stuff out. I simply nodded, not really wanting to do this, but I had to.

I took a deep breath before continuing.

"After a week of not leaving my room, Charlie was ready to pull out the big guns and break down my door using force."

"Wait." Rose interrupted from the front. "Didn't you eat or pee?"

I had to laugh at that. I looked over my shoulder to see her, once again, turned around in her seat. It was really starting to worry me that she kept doing that.

"Of course I ate and I went to the restroom, but I only did so when Charlie was at work or not in the house. No one should be allowed to see me in the emotional state I was in." I answered, before turning back towards everyone else. I decided to pick a spot on the back window to stare at.

"Anyways, Right before Charlie reached his limit and broke down my door, I realized that there was only one way to solve this problem. I figuratively "killed" what was left of me and gave myself a make over of sorts. I rebuilt everything about me, starting from the bottom up.

"I started by changing my appearance. I wore make up, I practiced wearing heels, I dressed in nice clothes, and I pretended to care about what I looked like. Then I changed how I acted. Shy, sensitive, over-emotional Bella was kicked out and replaced with confident, independent, sarcastic Bella. In a sense, I created an Anti-Bella. I became the exact opposite of the weak little girl that had so easily accepted—and believed—the lies that people fed her and who would easily forgive anything, letting everyone walk all over her. I didn't want to be _used_ like that anymore." Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Edward pinch the bridge of his nose and rest his head against the window, his eyes tightly shut as though he was in pain.

"Sorry if that doesn't make much sense. I have never tried to explain this before so it is kind of hard to come up with the right analogies… okay, how about this one." I pulled the first thing I thought of out of my head.

"Think of me as a Barbie Doll. Completely empty, without a lick of personality, but no matter what—whether she is butt naked or floating face down in a pool, forgotten—that Barbie Doll has a fake smile plastered onto her overly made-up face." Emmett snickered at that.

"Naked Barbie…" He laughed.

Rose reached behind her and smacked him again; I couldn't help it. I laughed too. "That is a really weird mental image isn't it?" I giggled.

"You have no idea." Edward muttered, his forehead still against the window.

"So Bella," Esme said. "You got rid of your mental and physical self?" She questioned.

I nodded. "However, I didn't completely trash my mind. Every bit of the old me was still in there, it was just locked and sealed into a safe, sitting in the back corner of my mind. Everything was filed away in perfect order, but I don't know why, it isn't like I am ever going to open that particular safe up and revisit any of it." I muttered.

I decided to skip ahead a few months because during that time it was the same thing every day, nothing worth telling them about.

"So that was how it was for about five months. I was Bella Barbie. But that changed when I decided to go visit Jacob Black." Edward's eyes shot open at the mention of Jacob's name.

"He made me feel okay again; not whole, not perfect, but more like what I was before. He was somehow able to jump over my well-constructed walls and slowly break them down. Jacob spent about a year pulling down the walls, brick by brick, slowly pulling me back to the surface and out of that damned safe in my mind. I know it wasn't easy, but he didn't give up until I was almost me again." A growl came from Edward.

_What the hell is his problem?_ I wondered as I sent him a glare. _Maybe he drank a bad mountain lion and he has cramps._

"However, I was never whole again. There was always a little—no that is a lie—a quite large section of me that was still missing and no matter how hard me and Jake tried, we couldn't seem to find the damnable missing piece. Anyways, Jake and I became really close. He was my best friend. We had been friends for about four months when he started acting really strange. He was avoiding me and Billy—his father—was reluctant to tell me what was going on. It was hurting me that he wasn't talking to me." I was getting chocked up, remembering how neglected and unwanted I had felt.

"He hurt you?" Edward hissed, his head snapping up from its place against the window. His eyes looked murderous.

"So did you." I shot back.

I felt my eyes widen as everyone gasped. I threw my hand over my mouth. Had that just slipped out? Aw, shit.

An intense look of pain came over Edward's features as he dropped his head back to the window. I wanted so badly to reach out and touch his face or to hug him. I couldn't though. He wouldn't want me to.

Carlisle was the first to regain his composure.

"As you were saying Bella?" He prompted.

"Of course. So, I knew something was up with Jacob, so I went out and found him, and demanded to know what was going on. He finally broke down and told me. He was a werewolf."

There was a collective string of profanities coming from Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett and Edward. Alice and Esme looked shocked. Carlisle seemed… amused. What was that about?

"Danger magnet." Carlisle sighed. I let out a laugh.

"Yes, I know. I must be some kind of weird magnet for anything mythical, supernatural, and dangerous as I believe someone pointed out once." I smiled slightly.

"Well, I was shocked at first, but I quickly accepted the fact that he morphed into a giant wolf. Honestly! I was friends with you guys and werewolves aren't much different in the "danger department" than you!" I informed them.

"But werewolves are dangerous and unpredictable! How could you risk your safety like that Bella?" Alice hissed from beside me.

I rolled my eyes.

"How is "dangerous and unpredictable" any different from you guys?" I asked, catching them off guard. No one could come up with a response.

"Exactly." I smirked. "The pot calling the kettle black. That is hypocritical. You just don't like them because they are a threat to you."

"That is true. They are the only other thing besides a fire and another vampire that can harm us." Carlisle pointed out.

"Not true." I disagreed.

Every single Cullen looked at me quickly, confused at my statement.

"What else could kill us that we don't know about?" Jasper asked, worried.

"Me." I simply stated.

_And it begins…_ I thought as they all started protesting and asking questions at one time.

I held up my hand to silence them.

Once they had quieted down, and I had their undivided attention, I continued.

"This brings us to the topic of why I am here, working for the Voltouri. You see, it all begins because Laurent and Victoria came back to kill me. Just because you killed James." I stated.

"Shit." Emmett mumbled as Alice gasped.

"The wolves were able to kill Laurent before he got to me. However, Victoria was not so easy. She was able to get away and come here, to Volterra, and inform them that there was an unruly pack of werewolves and a human girl that knew a little too much about vampires running around Washington." I felt myself getting angry. I had to stop and take a few deep breaths. Letting myself get too mad would be a fatal mistake.

"Victoria came back to tell us that the Voltouri were on their way to wipe out the wolves and me. And I don't know what happened, something in me clicked into place. I was so angry that I didn't even realize what I was doing. One moment I was standing in the middle of that baseball clearing with the wolves protectively crouched around me, and then the next thing I know, the wolves were being propelled out of my way by some form of shield and Victoria was pinned up against a tree, unable to free herself from whatever force that was pinning her there. I reached out and put one of my hands under her chin, forcing her to look at me, but I couldn't hold her head in place easily because she was so much stronger than me. She began taunting me about how I was weak and how everyone I loved would die because of my weakness. So I did what any other person would have done—I wished that I was stronger than her; so strong that she feared my strength." I let my eyes wander towards the spot on the back window I had been looking at before. I let my mind wander back to the next thing that happened. It was the moment that changed it all.

"If I hadn't been looking straight into her eyes, I never would have noticed what was happening; I would have attributed my sudden burst in strength to adrenaline. But that wasn't what it was. I was physically draining Victoria off all of her strength and siphoning it off into myself. Her eyes started drooping wearily. When she realized what was happening and that she couldn't yank her head from my grasp, I got my wish. I saw fear in her eyes and in a sick way, it felt good. So good, in fact, that I felt the need to test the limits of this new strength. I released Victoria's chin but left her trapped against the tree. Acting purely on instinct, I reached towards her left arm, planted one hand on her shoulder, the other wrapped around her wrist. I placed my foot against the tree for leverage, and I pulled as hard as I could. I had my eyes closed in exertion so I didn't see what happened, but rather heard a sickening snap and Victoria's scream as I fell backwards. When I hit the ground, I realized that I was still holding something that was hard, cold, and twitching." I allowed myself to peak at their reactions.

Every single one of them was looking at me with awe and shock. I didn't blame them. I was just as shocked as them when this had happened.

"When I opened my eyes, I saw Victoria howling in pain, still pinned against the tree, armless. The arm was in my hand." Esme reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "I was disgusted with what I had done. So much so that I lost my concentration and my anger fled me, releasing the wolves and Victoria from the confines of their invisible bindings, causing them to fall to the ground."

"Hold on." Jasper asked. "You pulled her arm off?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Jasper." When his eyes got wide I had to grin. "I know it is shocking isn't it? Finding out that like that," I snapped my fingers, "I could easily kill you."

He just nodded.

"Well, the wolves immediately ran over and finished off Victoria, taking her arm from me so that they could burn her. After a fire was kindled and Victoria's remains were set ablaze, the wolves phased back into human form and rushed over to me.

"Of course they wanted to know how I did what I had done and had I known that I could do that before, and all I could do was sit there and shake my head "no" and tell them that I didn't know what was going on."

I took a deep breath before continuing to the next part; the part that landed me in Volterra.

"We had been so distracted by the fact that I had pulled that little parlor trick out of my sleeve, that we didn't notice that we had an audience until Aro stepped out of the woods clapping, his guard right behind him. Of course the wolves phased immediately, resuming their protective stances. Aro told me that he was impressed with my talents and that he wouldn't mind having me as an addition to his guard. Of course I declined politely telling him that I appreciated the offer but I wanted to stay with Jacob and Charlie. He was disappointed and offered me a multitude of priceless things. The only problem—and he soon realized—was that I didn't want any of the material items that he was offering me. So he struck a deal of sorts with me." I told the Cullen's as they listened attentively.

"He said that the wolves would not be harmed and left alone forever and that the Voltouri would not harm you guys for letting me—a human—know about the existence of vampires. I didn't tell them about you guys, in case you were wondering, Aro did that just by touching one of the wolves." I looked down, ashamed of the fact that because of me being weird and quirky, the Cullen's were in trouble.

"Oh Bella, I am so sorry that he did that to you." Esme cried squeezing my hand in hers again. Alice wrapped he arms around me and laid he head on my shoulder.

"It was no big deal." I reassured her.

"So," I began again. "I did the only sensible thing in the matter, I accepted his proposition."

This time it was Emmett who growled.

"You should have let them come! I want to have a good fight with these bastards. From what I have seen they all look like pansies so it shouldn't be too hard." His eyes looked murderous. I simply patted his arm and looked to Jasper.

Jasper nodded his head, understanding, and sent a wave of faux calm around the car.

"Didn't the wolves try to stop them from leaving with you? What kind of friends were they if they sat there while you got dragged away? I have half a mind to go—"

"No," I cut Emmett off. "I channeled my anger and focused on them not being able to come after me, and they found themselves, once again, pinned against the trees. So it is entirely my fault that they didn't come after me. They couldn't have followed us either because the Voltouri are very good at covering their tracks." The wolves had no clue where the Voltouri resided at. I had no doubt in my mind that Jake was searching everywhere though.

"So they just took you right then and there?" Rose asked.

I nodded but then realized that she could see me nod. "Yes Rosalie. We just up and left right then."

"What about Charlie?" Alice asked.

"He was gone that week on a small vacation. So, we went back to my house briefly to grab most of my stuff and once we got here, I called Charlie and explained that I got accepted into a foreign study program in Europe that required that I left as soon as possible. Charlie of course was thrilled and I asked him to call Renee for me since I was using all of my long distance minutes talking to him." I sighed, leaning my head on top of Alice's which was still resting on my shoulder. "I had Aro pose as my student teacher and call Charlie and Renee to explain that there had been an accident when we were out in the Mediterranean and I had died when the boat and hit a rock and sunk. So they think that I am dead." I felt a tear escape my tightly closed eyes. Esme wiped it from my cheek, switching places with Emmett so that she could put her arms around me too.

"I am so sorry, Bella. No one should ever have to do that. Never." She told me.

"It is okay. It has been a while, I have pretty much gotten over it." I told her. "Plus, Aro didn't care about how I felt. How a human feels shouldn't matter to a vampire."

"No, but how a woman feels should matter to a man." Edward countered.

I swooned a little at his words. I needed to fight to maintain my composure. "Regardless, it is done. I don't think it is too easy to come back from the grave." I told him.

That moment, my tummy decided to rumble.

"Ugh. Rosalie?" I asked.

"Food stop?" She questioned.

"Yes please." I told her.

She just chuckled as my tummy rumbled again, and exited the highway, pulling up to a coffee house.

I climbed across Alice, grabbed my bag and hopped out. "Be right back." I said as I shut the door and went inside.

I seriously needed some coffee. And a nice, big macadamia nut cookie with those little chunks of white chocolate…

We could finish my story later. Right now, I needed food.

* * *

**A/N:** How would you feel about this chapter in EPOV? I am not sure if I should do it.

If I do, it will be like a little bonus chapter. =D

Okay, anyways, I want to figure out a way to get you lovely readers and reviewers involved in this story but I am not sure how to do it.

Any suggestions?

I was thinking something like you guys giving my random quotes and I pick a few for each chapter and try to incorporate them into the chapter somewhere.

But I don't know… a little help would be stellar!!

_**--Cherette **_

**P.S.:** What do you think of Bella's power and her explanation so far? I tried really had to think of a believable power for her, so I hope it paid off! Expect an update either tomorrow afternnon or Thursday! Depends on if I write an EPOV of this chapter oor not. it is all up to you guys...


	6. WomanI'll Always Be There

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. However, I do own a BaHa Men CD. (Review If You Love Them!)

Anyways… I have to let you all know that I am absolutely, positively, in love with every single one of you! I think I am 2 reviews shy of 100.

You guys are my superheroes! I wish that I could hug each and every one of you. Sadly, the internet is not _that_ advanced… yet.

I also would like to thank my stellar anonymous reviewers!! You guys are awesome! I think that it is amazing that you review my story. An extra hug goes out to you guys. =D I wish I could reply to your reviews… however, I sadly cannot. Damn. Such is life.

Also, I made a page at freewebs so, it is posted in the HomePage link on my profile. Go see it!

To the point:

This is just a short chapter of an EPOV of the previous chapter in BPOV. I figured you guys deserved to know what Edward was thinking all through that last conversation that caused him to repeatedly bang his head on the window. We will get on with the story again next chapter!

Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with **CHAPTER SIX!**

* * *

_Many a nights we would sit down and cry. Tears from mine would be tears from your eye.  
What they saw was a human disguise... How he use to love you.  
How he use to treat you... I'll always be there fo you...  
_**--**_"Woman (I'll Always Be There)" _**_Rupee  
_**

Chapter Six

EPOV

Bella just stood there after her friends had stolen her car. I wasn't sure what was going through her mind—but then again, I never have known—but if her face was any clue at all, she was slightly miffed at Demitri and Felix.

Or maybe that was because Jasper couldn't get a handle on his power and was projecting all of our shock and annoyance at everyone within a ten foot radius.

_Oh! I need to stop that,_ Jasper thought to himself. _But how did they expect me to act with a bomb like that just being dropped on me? Bella part of the guard? How the hell?_

Bella held up the keys to limo at that time, pulling Jasper out of his wonderings. "Does anyone want to drive?" My angel asked.

_The limo? Sure…_ Rose thought as she walked forwards.

"I will." Rose offered, causing Bella's head to whip up in surprise before she smiled. I barley noticed the conversation going on around me as I watched Bella's smile. God, she was beautiful…

"Oh come on Bella!" Emmett whined, brining my attention away from Bella. "You have a fickin McLaren, for crying out loud! Please don't tell me that you have never taken it above one hundred on the highway!"

Then I heard her melodic laugh. "Sorry Emmett, I have never taken the McLaren over ninety." We all groaned at that. The car was built for speed and she hadn't done anything with it! "However, I did take my F400 Carving Concept out on the Autobahn and I ended up going about one-ten, maybe one-twenty."

That caught all of us off guard. That was a nice car. No, scratch that, she had an amazing car. Both of them were great cars. Something I would expect Rose to have, but not Bella.

_She has a Carving Concept? Dude… maybe I will join the Voltouri if I can get that. _Emmett thought, eyeing the spot where the McLaren had previously sat.

_She has got to be kidding. I don't have that good of cars!_ Rose exclaimed, her thoughts going all over the place. "Oh, this is so not fair!" She complained, stamping her foot. "Why do you have such amazing cars? Seriously! What happened to the girl who drove a beat up red truck?" Rose cried throwing her hands up in the air like the drama queen she is.

Carlisle wanted to get out of here so that we could hear Bella's explanation. My angel promised Rose a chance to tinker around with her cars before everyone was ready to go.

I opened the door for Carlisle and Esme, who were followed by Jasper, Alice and Emmett. That left only me and Bella. I briefly wandered if she was going to sit up front, so I had to make a move quickly before she got in the front with Rosalie. I really wanted to sit next to her and feel her warm little body pressed against mind throughout the car ride. That would be the epitome of heaven on earth.

"Are you going to get in or are you going stand out here in this chilly weather?" I inquired.

"I will get in I suppose." She said as I chuckled. As she ducked down into the limo, I placed my hand on the small of her back as a reflex reaction. Her skin was as soft and warm as ever and it felt amazing to touch her again. But when she shivered, I pulled my hand away, muttered my apologies and she got in. My hand was tingling from touching her. I couldn't wait to sit next to Bella. As I followed her in, I saw Alice had sat next to Bella.

_Sorry Edward._ Alice told me as I shot her a glare. _I wanted to sit next to my best friend. _

"Let's get this show on the road Rosie!" Emmett hollered, smacking the headrest of Rosalie's chair.

"Bella?" Rose called from the front.

"Yes ma'am?"

"How do you get to the castle?" She asked.

"Crap! Sorry Rosalie. I suppose you need those don't you?" She said, causing me to laugh. When she turned around in her seat to point out things to Rosalie, I got a spectacular view of her butt.

_No, Edward._ I chided myself. _You are just seeing her again for the first time in five years and not to mention that she probably hates you for leaving her. Stop being such a cad and stop looking at her butt! _

When she turned back around, the questioning began.

"So… Bella. You are part of the guard?" Jasper began, wanting to find out how Bella had gained access to the most feared group of individuals in the world.

"Yeah. I am a _Commandante_." She told him.

_Commandante? That is the most elite position of the entire guard. _Carlisle thought. _The only other people with that position is Jane, Alec, Demitri, Felix, and Heidi._

I gasped as Carlisle questioned Bella. All of those people had the most formidable powers of the entire guard. Why did Bella have that position? My family's thoughts mirrored my own.

Emmett laughed loudly. "You must be lethal Bella!"

"Yeah… lethal." Bella said quietly. Maybe she was…

"How did that happen Bella?" Jasper asked.

"Where do you want me to start at?" She questioned

"Start from right after we…" I began, but it was too painful to finish.

"…left." Alice finished.

"From the beginning. Alright… Five years ago, when you guys left, I wasn't Bella anymore. It was like I had become a shell of what I was before. Zombie like in a way. The only difference between me and the zombie, being that they had more life in them than I did." Bella told us. I sucked in a breath. She was like that because of me.

Bella said some more about locking herself away before Rose interrupted.

Bella laughed slightly and answered.

"Anyways, Right before Charlie reached his limit and broke down my door, I realized that there was only one way to solve this problem. I figuratively "killed" what was left of me and gave myself a make over of sorts. I rebuilt everything about me, starting from the bottom up.

"I started by changing my appearance. I wore make up, I practiced wearing heels, I dressed in nice clothes, and I pretended to care about what I looked like. Then I changed how I acted. Shy, sensitive, over-emotional Bella was kicked out and replaced with confident, independent, sarcastic Bella. In a sense, I created an Anti-Bella. I became the exact opposite of the weak little girl that had so easily accepted—and believed—the lies that people fed her and who would easily forgive anything, letting everyone walk all over her. I didn't want to be _used_ like that anymore." I pinched the bridge of my nose and rested my head against the window.

Why did I cause everyone so much pain? Especially the only one that matters… Bella. I was a terrible person. I don't deserve my family's love and forgiveness. And I certainly do not deserve this heaven bound angel sitting across from me. Why should I? I was among one of the most vile monsters on the planet for causing her pain. Surely that was a punishable sin. So why is it that I don't feel punished but, instead, positively euphoric about being in the same car as my Bella?

When I listened to what Bella was saying, I heard her comparing herself to a toy doll.

_Bella,_ I thought to myself. _You never did see yourself clearly. You are much more gorgeous that any plastic doll, or cherub angel, too, for that matter._

"Naked Barbie…" Emmett laughed right then, picturing a naked Barbie doll with Bella's face. It was really disturbing.

Rose reached behind her and smacked him again.

_When will he learn to censor his mouth?_ Rosalie wondered.

"That is a really weird mental image isn't it?" Bella giggled.

"You have no idea." I told her.

I didn't open my eyes for a while. I just listened as my angel explained how she had reorganized her memories and the rest of her mind.

"So that was how it was for about five months. I was Bella Barbie. But that changed when I decided to go visit Jacob Black." I sat up quickly.

_Jacob Black_. I wanted to growl. What did he have to do with this?

"He made me feel okay again; not whole, not perfect, but more like what I was before. He was somehow able to jump over my well-constructed walls and slowly break them down. Jacob spent about a year pulling down the walls, brick by brick, slowly pulling me back to the surface and out of that damned safe in my mind. I know it wasn't easy, but he didn't give up until I was almost me again."

I growled. I wanted to be the one there for her. I wanted to be the one to always pick her back up and put her back together. That was my job. Or at least it was… until I left her and lost the option of being there for her. I was the worst boyfriend any girl could ever have. More accurately, who would want me to be theirs? **(A/N: Umm… Me!)** I was not reliable and I couldn't control my own instincts.

"However, I was never whole again. There was always a little—no that is a lie—a quite large section of me that was still missing and no matter how hard me and Jake tried, we couldn't seem to find the damnable missing piece. Anyways, Jake and I became really close. He was my best friend. We had been friends for about four months when he started acting really strange. He was avoiding me and Billy—his father—was reluctant to tell me what was going on. It was hurting me that he wasn't talking to me."

"He hurt you?" I hissed. I would murder the boy.

"So did you." She shot back.

An intense pain shot through my dead heart. I dropped my head back to the window in defeat. She was right.

_I am so sorry Edward._ Esme said.

_You know, she is right._ Rose pointed out the obvious.

The rest of my family's thoughts also expressed their apologies and remorse for me.

"So, I knew something was up with Jacob, so I went out and found him, and demanded to know what was going on. He finally broke down and told me. He was a werewolf."

Everyone's thoughts screamed at me at once.

_What is with this girl and danger? _Emmett wondered.

_Only Bella. _Esme laughed in her mind even though she was in complete shock.

"Danger magnet." Carlisle sighed.

"Yes, I know. I must be some kind of weird magnet for anything mythical, supernatural, and dangerous as I believe someone pointed out once." Bella smiled before continuing.

"Well, I was shocked at first, but I quickly accepted the fact that he morphed into a giant wolf. Honestly! I was friends with you guys and werewolves aren't much different in the "danger department" than you!" Was she comparing us to those dogs?

"But werewolves are dangerous and unpredictable! How could you risk your safety like that Bella?" Alice hissed, flipping through her past visions to see if she had seen this and it had just slipped past her.

"How is "dangerous and unpredictable" any different from you guys?" Well, Bella had us there.

"Exactly." She smirked. "The pot calling the kettle black. That is hypocritical. You just don't like them because they are a threat to you."

"That is true. They are the only other thing besides a fire and another vampire that can harm us." Carlisle pointed out.

"Not true."

_That has to be a lie,_ Jasper thought._ There is no way that something else could kill us._ He was getting panicked.

"What else could kill us that we don't know about?" Jasper voiced his thoughts, some of his panic escaping him.

"Me." Bella simply stated as though it was nothing.

_How? She is human. How can she pose a threat to a vampire?_ Carlisle mused, going over the possibilities.

Bella raised her hand, asking for quiet as my family shot question after question at her. "This brings us to the topic of why I am here, working for the Voltouri. You see, it all begins because Laurent and Victoria came back to kill me. Just because you killed James."

"Shit." Emmett mumbled as Alice gasped.

She told us of how Laurent was dead but Victoria went to the Voltouri to get help in riding the world of the wolves so that she could get to Bella.

"Victoria came back to tell us that the Voltouri were on their way to wipe out the wolves and me. And I don't know what happened, something in me clicked into place. I was so angry that I didn't even realize what I was doing. One moment I was standing in the middle of that baseball clearing with the wolves protectively crouched around me, and then the next thing I know, the wolves were being propelled out of my way by some form of shield and Victoria was pinned up against a tree, unable to free herself from whatever force that was pinning her there. I reached out and put one of my hands under her chin, forcing her to look at me, but I couldn't hold her head in place easily because she was so much stronger than me." Bella began getting frustrated about the fact that she was showing a weakness.

"She began taunting me about how I was weak and how everyone I loved would die because of my weakness. So I did what any other person would have done—I wished that I was stronger than her; so strong that she feared my strength."

_Strong Bella? That has to be an oxymoron!_ Emmett though. And I agreed. Bella would always be fragile to me.

"If I hadn't been looking straight into her eyes, I never would have noticed what was happening; I would have attributed my sudden burst in strength to adrenaline. But that wasn't what it was. I was physically draining Victoria off all of her strength and siphoning it off into myself. Her eyes started drooping wearily. When she realized what was happening and that she couldn't yank her head from my grasp, I got my wish. I saw fear in her eyes and in a sick way, it felt good."

I knew that feeling. And it did feel good, but Bella was the last person I expected to know about that. Yet here she was, confessing that she could drain a vampire of their strength and become physically stronger than any one of us.

"So good," Bella continued. ", in fact, that I felt the need to test the limits of this new strength. I released Victoria's chin but left her trapped against the tree. Acting purely on instinct, I reached towards her left arm, planted one hand on her shoulder, the other wrapped around her wrist. I placed my foot against the tree for leverage, and I pulled as hard as I could. I had my eyes closed in exertion so I didn't see what happened, but rather heard a sickening snap and Victoria's scream as I fell backwards. When I hit the ground, I realized that I was still holding something that was hard, cold, and twitching."

This has to be some sick joke. My Bella doesn't hurt people. My Bella can't harm a vampire. No, no, no. Please just don't let her be a killer. I couldn't bare it if her innocence had been taken and her soul stained.

Please, God, no…

"When I opened my eyes, I saw Victoria howling in pain, still pinned against the tree, armless. The arm was in my hand. I was disgusted with what I had done. So much so that I lost my concentration and my anger fled me, releasing the wolves and Victoria from the confines of their invisible bindings, causing them to fall to the ground."

Jasper was in denial that Bella could have done this.

"Hold on." Jasper asked. "You pulled her arm off?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Jasper. I know it is shocking isn't it? Finding out that like that," She snapped ", I could easily kill you."

_What has happened to you Bella?_ Carlisle wondered sadly.

"Well, the wolves immediately ran over and finished off Victoria, taking her arm from me so that they could burn her. After a fire was kindled and Victoria's remains were set ablaze, the wolves phased back into human form and rushed over to me.

"Of course they wanted to know how I did what I had done and had I known that I could do that before, and all I could do was sit there and shake my head "no" and tell them that I didn't know what was going on." She paused.

Bella spoke of how Aro had showed up and offered her to join them, but when she denied them, Aro gave her an ultimatum. Aro sounded like a bastard and I really wasn't his biggest fan right now. I had only heard good things about him from Carlisle, but it seems that there was an entirely other side to him. A controlling, power-lusting side, usually indicative to the majority of powerful rulers throughout history. It would seem that Aro is no different than his predecessors.

"Oh Bella, I am so sorry that he did that to you." Esme cried as Alice wrapped her arms around Bella's small frame and laid her head on her shoulder lovingly. I wish I could wrap my arms around her too. And feel her warmth pressed up against my side.

_Soon Edward,_ Alice reassured me. _Soon._

Bella said that she had accepted Aro's offer and when Emmett questioned her, she told him about how she had quickly figured out how to harness her power and used it against the wolves.

"What about Charlie?" Alice asked, her thoughts swirling around her favorite human other than Bella.

"He was gone that week on a small vacation. So, we went back to my house briefly to grab most of my stuff and once we got here, I called Charlie and explained that I got accepted into a foreign study program in Europe that required that I left as soon as possible. Charlie of course was thrilled and I asked him to call Renee for me since I was using all of my long distance minutes talking to him." Bella was obviously pained by this. She rested her head on Alice's and closed her eyes, fighting tears.

"I had Aro pose as my student teacher and call Charlie and Renee to explain that there had been an accident when we were out in the Mediterranean and I had died when the boat and hit a rock and sunk. So they think that I am dead." A single tear escaped. I was going to reach over and wipe it from her cheek when Esme switched places with Emmett, and wiped the tear from my loves cheek.

"I am so sorry, Bella. No one should ever have to do that. Never." Esme told Bella, hugging her the same way Alice was.

_This poor child. So much hurt. How can she still continue living?_ Esme wondered sadly.

"It is okay. It has been a while; I have pretty much gotten over it." Bella told her. "Plus, Aro didn't care about how I felt. How a human feels shouldn't matter to a vampire."

I beg to differ.

"No, but how a woman feels should matter to a man." I countered, feeling the need to add something to this. No woman deserved to be treated as Bella had been. It was men like Aro that gave all males a bad reputation for being cads and vindictive.

"Regardless, it is done. I don't think it is too easy to come back from the grave." She pointed out.

That moment, Bella's body decided it was hungry, making her stomach growl loudly. My angel blushed beautifully before asking Rosalie to stop for food.

Rose pulled off into a coffee shop and Bella climbed out. Once the door was shut, Carlisle spoke.

"I believe we have a few things we need to talk about."

* * *

A/N: Okay, so this chapter wasn't my best.

Oh well. I was too focused on all the ideas swirling through my head for future chapters. Will you forgive me for this one crappy chapter?

Anyways, I will hopefully get my brain sorted out soon and get the next few chapters out. Wish me luck!

So… until we speak again… how about you review? Tell me what you like and dislike so that I don't do it again! Only you can help me prevent another bad chapter! (Wow that sounded like a corny Star Trek mission or something.)

=D

Oh, and I feel like I owe you guys a little explanation. I realize that there is some confusion to Bella's power. I would like to put your minds at ease and explain a little better about what it is and why I chose it.

Okay. So Bella still has a mental block to everyone. So I figured that it only makes sense that she would have a physical shield too. That is what she uses to pin the wolves and Victoria against the trees.

And the whole "absorbing strength" part is because Bella has always been portrayed as the weak one who everyone has to protect. With her being able to drain their strength that allows her to be in power for once and not be the weakest link. I liked the idea of Bella being able to be feared instead of being thought of as a snack or a toy as most of the vampires seem to think she is.

Make sense? =D

--Chey


	7. The Danger Of Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own an awesome game called Guitar Hero.

I am glad that most of you like my EPOV last chapter. I would like to tell everyone that as soon as I get to the main plot, the chapters will get longer and more intense. And there will only be about two more "leading up" chapters before we really get to it.

This chapter will be in both POV's of Edward and Bella. You will see why in a minute.

Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER SEVEN!

* * *

"If love is a danger, should we avoid it?  
The danger of love; Drive me crazy. The danger of love; Drives me easy.  
The danger of love; Makes the power of your day. The danger of love; Makes the power of your way  
The danger of love..."

--"Danger Of Love" DJ Krush

* * *

Chapter Seven

EPOV

Once the door was shut, Carlisle spoke. "I believe we have a few things we need to talk about."

"You think?" Emmett asked sarcastically as Rosalie opened the door Bella had just climbed out of and took her place.

"We have six minutes and fifty one seconds until Bella comes back." Alice informed us as I watched the visions of Bella getting a coffee and a danish flash through her mind.

"Obviously, things are not as we thought they would be." Carlisle spoke slowly, weighing each word before he voiced it. "I believe we have discovered Aro's reason for inviting us to Volterra, however."

"To show off the fact that he has assimilated Bella into his guard?" Jasper asked. His thoughts were still in denial that this could have happened to Bella. I knew he wouldn't believe that it was possible until Bella gave us a demonstration. I didn't blame him, I would like to see exactly what she was capable of too.

"Of course." I told Jasper. "From what I can tell, Aro is power hungry and wants to flaunt it for everyone to see." I felt myself getting mad. I would have to control my temper while we were in Volterra or I could quite possibly rip Aro's pompous head off his arrogant shoulders.

Jasper shot me a look as he sensed my anger flare up.

Deep breaths, Edward, he told me.

"That may be true, but I think that he has another reason, too." Carlisle said. I tired to peek into his thoughts but they were sufficiently blocked. I raised my eyebrow towards him but he ignored it, continuing with what he was saying.

"Aro has always been some-what jealous of what I have." He informed us. "He has never felt the bond that we share as a family and I think that bothers him. He is also confused as to why I would choose this way of life—of being a vegetarian—and that others would follow my decision. So I believe that he saw a powerful human and first thought of Bella as an opportunity for more power. But when I listened to what Bella said, I noticed something. He offered her material goods before he touched one of the wolves and got the whole story. That was when he realized that he had a chance to take part of my family away from me." He rubbed his face with his hand, obviously blaming this on himself.

"But Bella isn't part of our family." Rosalie pointed out.

"I think of her as family, even though she isn't technically, I love her like a daughter." Esme spoke up. Carlisle nodded, agreeing with her. "I will always think of her as my daughter even if she is never an actual part of this family. But I am not going to lie; I would love it if Bella joined us." Esme confessed.

"I completely agree Esme!" Alice gushed, bouncing in her seat. "Too bad certain people are too afraid to act on that." She glared at me.

"Let's not blame this on Edward." Carlisle said. "He did what he thought was right. There was no way we could have known that Bella would get herself in all of this trouble. But then again, she is Bella, so it isn't completely unexpected."

Emmett chuckled. "Ah, Bella. She never ceases to amuse me." He let his head fall back and stared at the ceiling. "What are we going to do now? I mean, should we leave or should we stay and do… I don't know… it just seems like we should do something about this."

"We are staying." Carlisle stated firmly. "I believe that this is partially our fault, so it only seems right that we should correct it."

"Wait." I spoke. "So we are just going to let Aro toy around with us?"

"Of course not Edward!" Esme scolded. "We are not going in without some type of idea of what we are up against and their possible motives though."

Carlisle nodded.

"We should listen to what Bella says about her time in Volterra very carefully. We need to see if we can pick up on any little things that might help us. And I believe we should also ask Bella."

"Carlisle! Do you think that is smart? What if she is on their side?" Rosalie said.

"Rose." He began. "This is Bella we are talking about. Did you not pay attention to her story?"

"Yes, of course." Rosalie told Carlisle, feeling confused.

"The reason Bella went to Volterra with them to begin with was because Aro threatened our safety. Bella will definitely be on our side." Carlisle told us confidently.

"But…" I began.

What if she didn't want to help us because I was with them? Sure, she probably still loves my family, but did I fall into that category? Or was she just tolerating me because the rest of my family was here? I wouldn't blame her if she hated me. In fact, I probably deserved it.

"…what if she doesn't help you guys because of me?" I finally said.

I was looking down at the floor when I felt a sharp stinging in my cheek, whipping my head to the side. I looked up to see Alice glaring at me with her hand raised. She must have slapped me.

"Are you dense?" She almost yelled. Alice's eyes were blazing with fury. "I mean seriously. You have been around for almost one hundred and ten years. One would think that you would be smart but right now you are coming off as pretty damn stupid!"

Jasper reached towards Alice and sent a wave of calm through her. Once she was visibly calmer, I spoke.

"Alice, I left her alone and I am one of the reasons that she is here right now. She has every right to hate me. Hell, I would hate me." I pointed out.

"She still loves you." Alice stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh, really?" I questioned, a little bit of hope growing in the back of my heart. But I couldn't allow myself to hope and then it all be for naught. "How do you know that?"

"I am Alice." She smirked. "I just know these things."

I let the subject drop. I didn't want to get into this with her right now. So, instead, I turned back to Carlisle.

"Carlisle?" I asked. "Why do you think that they haven't changed her yet? I would think that Aro would want her as a permanent fixture of his guard."

"I can honestly say that I have no clue Edward. I assume Bella knows though. So why don't we ask her?" He had just finished his sentence when the door was pulled open and Bella stood there smiling at us.

"Mind if I join your little pow-wow?" My angel giggled.

Could Alice be right? Did she still love me?

* * *

BPOV

The coffee that I had bought tasted awesome as I walked back out to the limo. I could see that Rosalie was no longer in the front, so I assumed that she had moved to the back to sit with Emmett until I got back. Maybe I should just drive the rest of the way. We are almost to the exit to Volterra anyways.

I walked to the back and pulled open the door to see everyone sitting in the back.

"Mind if I join your little pow-wow?" I asked.

"Not at all Bella." Esme said kindly.

I smiled at her before dinking some more of my coffee. "I was just kidding. I am actually just going to drive the rest of the way if you don't mind Rose. We are close to the exit anyways. We should be at the castle within the next forty minutes." I told them.

"I don't mind. I will just hang back here with Em." Rosalie replied.

"Alright. Well, if you guys are ready, we can leave now or would you like to continue your little meeting?" I asked. It was my duty to please the guests and as of right now, they were under my care.

"Actually Bella," Carlisle spoke. "I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me first."

"Of course. What would you like to know?" I asked as I opened the door to the front seat and climbed in, turning the chair around to face all of them.

"I would like to know about the extent of your power. Like, does it have any limits? Are there any draw backs or side effects to you?" He asked.

"Yes, there are limits and draw backs to everything." I drank the rest of my coffee before launching into what would surely be a long-winded speech.

"Okay, so when I came to Volterra, we immediately started test what I could do. We began with the easiest thing to control of the two; my shield. We learned that it came when I got pissed off. So we began to mess around with it. We tried things like making me laugh really hard or making me sad but none of them produced the same force of a shield that my anger did. The only problem with this was that, I didn't care if someone was trying to harm the Voltouri, so when it came time for me to help them out in a battle, I couldn't bring my self to get angry and help them out. That was when Aro decided that he needed to find a better alternative from which I can create a shield.

"One day he got the idea that maybe if I was physically stronger, that it might take less anger for me to form a shield of the same magnitude of the other shield. So we tried it out. The weird thing was that it actually worked. I mean, I still need anger to create a formidable shield against a lot of people, but if it is only like eight to one, I can easily take them on without using my anger, but instead, my strength. So now I work out three times a week for an hour and a half at a time."

"Wait a second." Rose interrupted. "You can easily take on eight against your one? What if you did get angry? Do you know how many you could do then?"

"Well, the most I have ever pinned against a wall at one time was twenty four of the guard's members." I told her proudly.

"Cool." She smirked.

"All right Squirt!" Emmett hollered, extending his fist towards me. I bumped my fist against his laughing.

"If you want, you can come to my workout session tomorrow and I will arrange for a demonstration if you would like. I will even pull a few strings so that I can have the privilege of pinning Aro against the wall." I smirked at the thought of that. "Yeah, pin him really hard against the wall…" I told them.

"Count me in!" Emmett laughed loudly. "I am all for seeing that old fart getting his ass whipped."

Rose rolled her eyes at her husband.

"I think we should all go." Carlisle said. "I, for one, am curious about this. And I am sure everyone else is too. Well maybe not Emmett. He might just be going to see people get slammed into things." Emmett mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "Damn right."

"Well then, I will be sure to do that for you guys tomorrow." I smiled warmly at them. God, I have missed them.

"Bella?" Edward asked. I hadn't expected him to speak so I was shocked. I quickly turned my head to him and my eyes met his glorious golden ones.

"Hmm?" I asked, unable to form a coherent word.

"Something you said bothers me." He told me, his eyes burning into mine.

"And what was that?" I could feel my heart let out a quick thump at the sound of his voice.

"Well, you said something about helping them out in battle. Do they force you to fight with them?" He inquired, his voice was like velvet but with a hint of worry. Was he worried about me?

Impossible.

"No they don't force me to do anything. I am a part of their guard. It is my duty to help out when the time comes. And so, I help them out when it is necessary." I told him, never taking my eyes away from his, determined not to be the one to break this intense gazing contest we seemed to have going on.

We sat there for God-knows-how-long staring into the other's eyes before Jasper cleared his throat. I immediately blushed a bright crimson and broke away from his eyes. I heard him chuckle slightly as I looked over at everyone else in the car.

"Where was I before?" I asked, having completely forgotten.

"You had just said that you were able to hold off people with your shield by working out but that it wasn't as potent as a shield created from your anger." Jasper told me. I nodded towards him in thanks.

"Right." Okay, so I had covered the shield. Now I should do the strength siphoning.

"So with the siphoning of the strength, it is not as limited as my shield is. I do not have to be angry or strong in order to pull the strength out of any one—person or vampire. Actually, no, that is a lie. I need to be strong if I want to absorb someone's strength if I am at a distance from them. But if I am physically touching them, all I have to do is find the source of their strength and drain it form them." I said, getting excited. This was by far my favorite thing that I could do.

"The source of their strength?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. Every vampire has a certain point on their body that emanates more power than the rest of them. We call it a Mark. It usually is parallel to their bite mark but not always. If I am able to get to that one point, I am able to take all of their strength and not just the fraction of the strength I would have access to if I only grabbed a hand or something inconsequential like that." I told him. I wondered briefly where his Mark was at.

"Ooh!" Alice squealed, launching herself into the passenger seat, turning it around towards her family as I had done with mine. "Do me!"

Wait… what?!

"Huh?" She wasn't making any sense.

"Tell me where my Mark is!" She bounced up and down.

"Alright, but you need to hold still! Geez, you perky little pixie. You are seriously going to give me motion sickness if you don't stop!" I exclaimed, putting my hands on her shoulders in an attempt to hold her down.

"Ah!" Emmett yelled. I looked over to see him laughing really hard, holding onto an annoyed Rosalie. "Perky pixie! That… is… freaking… right!" He laughed.

Edward let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh before everyone started laughing. Emmett was gasping for air, pointing at a slightly miffed Alice.

She growled as Emmett saw her face and laughed even harder.

"What are you going to do to me you little pixie?" He shot at her, his huge body still shaking with laughter. "Cast a spell on me? Hit me with pixie dust?" He lost it again.

Alice grumbled next to me. "I will show you pixie dust Emmett." She reached into the mini fridge, pulling out a pop. She shook it, popped the top, and launched the spewing can at Emmett, covering him (and just about everyone but Alice) with sticky foam from the canned pop.

We all laughed for a few more minutes before we slowly regained our composure.

"Sorry about the interior of the limo Bella." Alice apologized.

"It isn't mine, so I don't care." I assured her. "It was worth it anyways. I haven't laughed like that in forever! You guys can wipe down with these." I pulled out a roll of paper towels, tossing it towards the Cullens.

"I still want you to tell me where my Mark is!" She squealed again.

"Okay, Alice, where is your bite mark at?" It was always easier to find the Mark if I could find their bite mark.

She pointed to a spot on the right side of her neck on her collar bone. I could barely make out the crescent shape on her skin. I turned her to face me before putting my hand on her bite mark and closing my eyes. I had always loved doing this because of the strength I could feel coursing through the other's body.

I wasn't disappointed.

I could feel the strength racing through her body like blood flowing through a human's veins. I was wild and coursed through every inch of her little frame. I searched for a second before I found her Mark.

Huh.

Her Mark was particularly strong. It was like nothing else I had felt before. The location was right over her heart. Bu the part that really surprised me was that she wasn't the only one connected to her Mark.

I gasped pulling my hand back and opening my eyes. The Cullens were looking at me expectantly.

"What did you find Bella?" Carlisle asked. "Were you able to locate her Mark?"

"Yes." I answered looking questioningly as Jasper. "It was directly over her heart, which I have never seen before. But the weird part—the thing that just freaked me out—was that she wasn't the only one connected to her Mark. Jasper was too. I could feel his strength through Alice as though they were the same person. They were… connected. I am not sure how to explain it though." I shook my head.

"Remarkable." I whispered. "I guess you guys are soul mates in every sense of the phrase. And I have a feeling that it would be the same for Rosalie and Emmett, Carlisle and Esme, too." I smile at them.

"That was really cool you guys!" I giggled.

"What does that mean Bella?" Jasper asked, his eyes on Alice and filled with love. I almost broke down and cried at the happiness and love between them. I wished so much that I could feel that again.

I composed myself before answering. "My guess is that if one of you two are weakened, you will be able to draw off of the other's energy in order to heal. But I am not sure and it isn't something that I want to test out." Jasper just nodded, still looking at Alice.

"I have another question." Carlisle said, breaking them moment.

"Sure. I will try to answer it." I told him.

"Why haven't the Voltouri changed you?" He asked. And just like that, I had the attention of everyone in the car.

"It is kind of complicated…" I told them. And that was the truth.

"There are a few reasons why I haven't been changed. One of the reasons was because I didn't want it. When I had been here for about six months and we had just discovered that strength helped with my power, Aro offered to change me. But I declined. I told him that I would pretty much rather die than live forever…" Of course I didn't want to live forever if I had no reason to do be alive to begin with. My driving force had left me.

"Why did they let you refuse?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah. Aro seems like someone who will get what he wants at all costs." Emmett added.

"Quite frankly, they are scared of me. They know I could kill them if I wanted to so they try to stay on my good side." I chuckled. "I guess deep down inside they are just a bunch of pussies."

Emmett laughed. "Oh wow. I missed you Bella!" He said pulling me into a hug.

"Missed you too Emmett!" I told him. But it was slightly muffled because my head was smushed into his massive shoulder.

"Was there any other reason that they didn't change you beside the fact that you scare them shitless?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes ma'am." I smiled as Emmett release me. "They are kind of scared that if they change me that I will lose my ability."

"Huh?" Jasper asked. "Is that possible?"

"Aro seems to think so." I told him.

"But why would you lose it?" Esme asked.

"Because we believe that the only reason I can do any of this to begin with is because I am a weak human who is constantly surrounded by things that are a lot stronger than me. So Aro thinks that once I am as strong as any normal vampire, and I no longer need to protect myself like I do now, that my powers will go away because I wont need them anymore."

"So because you might lose your potential, they haven't changed you?" Carlisle asked.

"Sure. Honestly, I think it is a load of crap but if it keeps them from doing something drastic, then by all means, let them believe it." I said.

"Whoa, I thought your power was intensified if you were stronger." Alice pointed out.

"Yup, it is. But they are all a bunch of numb-skulls." Sadly, I was completely serious. "I don't know how they rule over all you vampires when they can't even control their own employees."

Carlisle shot Edward a look who in turn nodded. Huh. Alright, I really hated when they had those little conversations. Of course, I would never tell them that.

"Okay, you two," I pointed at Carlisle and Edward, "have something that you are planning. I hope it isn't anything too bad." I scolded. "I might have to intervene."

Edward gave me a sheepish little grin. He looked so cute right then. I wanted nothing more than to kiss him. He was just too adorable for his own good. I couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across my face.

Dammit Bella. How obvious are you trying to be? I chided myself, looking away before I jumped him… which I was sorely tempted to do.

"We are just trying to correct a problem." Carlisle spoke.

I eyed him suspiciously. "Not going to tell me? Alright, that is cool. It isn't my business anyways."

I glanced back over at the clock we were going to be very late if we didn't get a move on. As of now I was going to have to speed to get us there.

I turned my chair back around and looked over my shoulder. "We can keep talking if you have any more questions, but we have to leave now or else I will get my butt kicked." I told them as I strapped myself in (safety first!)

As I sped out of the little coffee shop and back onto the highway, I got a sudden urge to listen to music. "Anyone mind if I listen to some music?" I called as I reached into my bag to grab my iTouch and its connector cord.

"Nope."

"I don't mind."

"That sounds lovely."

I heard them agreeing so I plugged the iTouch in and hit the shuffle button.

George Michael's "Faith" came on. The organ music came on before George started singing. I could never feel sad when listening to this song. Before I knew it, I was singing along under my breath.

"George Michael?" Emmett whined. "Seriously Bella?"

"I live for his music!" I joked. "What is wrong with him?"

"He is such a fart Bella! How about something else?" He pleased with me.

"Fine." I conceded before changing the song.

P!nk's "So What" came on next.

"That is more like it!" Emmett hollered. I smiled up into the rearview mirror so I could see his expression. He was giving me a huge thumbs up and a silly grin plastered on his face.

I heard Emmett start singing along with the song. He started out quiet but then he got louder and louder. Before long, he was belting out the lyrics at a deafening level.

"So what, I'm still a rockstar!" He sung out.

"Emmett!" I laughed.

"Do you not like my singing, Bell-uh." He drew out my name like a little kid.

Thankfully, my iTouch switched over to a slower song. Elton John's "Benny and the Jets." (A/N: I LOVE that song. Go listen to it now!)

"Bella?" Alice called from the back.

"Yes ma'am?" I asked.

"Do you love me?" She questioned. I could hear the pout in her voice.

"Of course I do Alice! Don't be ridiculous. I have always loved you!" I told her, offended that she would have thought that I didn't love her.

"Then… well… willyougoshoppingwithme?" She shot at me at rapid fire.

"What? Whoa there you Perky Pixie! I can't handle that all at once." I laughed.

"Will you go shopping with me?" She asked bouncing her way into the passenger seat.

"Alice!" I whined. "I just went last night! Do I have to?"

"You went shopping without me?" She asked, horrified.

"Yes, I go about once a week. I always ruin my clothes or I get lazy and don't feel like doing laundry. They put my room on the complete opposite side of the castle from the laundry room." I told her.

"Once a week? Bella! We only went shopping together twice." She rolled around in her chair like a little child throwing a tantrum.

"I am sorry Alice. How long are you guys staying for?" I asked nonchalantly. Wanted to know how long I had to be around Edward. Please Alice, say you guys were staying for a long time!

"Well, we were just going to come for Thanksgiving break because of school, however…" She trailed off, her eyes glazing over as she visited the future.

"…I do not see us going back for another month though. So you are stuck with us for four whole weeks! That is four shopping trips right? Yay!" She squealed, clapping her hands.

"That sounds nice." I replied. "Give me one moment."

I plugged my BlackBerry into the Bluetooth on the dashboard and shut my iPod off. I flipped open the video screen, knowing that Aro didn't like holding a phone in his hand (lazy ass) so he built in video monitors in all of the vehicles so that we could "chat while we traveled." Please. He just wants to keep his dogs on a tight leash.

"Aro." I said into the voice-pick-up device. The screen popped up with a sign that said "Calling Aro" with a picture of him giving my camera phone a peace sign. It was really strange but according to him, "it was hip." Dear, Lord. That man acted like a toddler.

"My Beautiful Bella!" Aro's overly cheerful voice came over the speakers a second before his face appeared on the screen.

"Hello, Aro." I replied coolly. I was still pissed off from him not telling me what he had planned and just throwing me to the dogs.

"Why the grumpy face, Bells?" He questioned.

"Do you even have to ask?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him, glancing down at the screen while I continued driving. "Did you get my text this morning?"

"Oh, yes. That is why you are mad?" He chuckled. "I look forward to you following through on your threat. It should prove to be entertaining."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Okay, listen Aro. I am not happy with you now so don't push it." I told him. "Anyways, I would like you to do me a favor."

"A favor? Why do you think you deserve a favor?" He questioned.

"Well, you definitely own me something for your behavior this morning." I scolded, feeling like I was his mother. "You threw me to the dogs with no warning and you expect me to act all peachy with you? Rethink that old man."

"Okay, okay, fine. You got me. But you know I would do anything for you!" He gushed. Sometimes I wondered if he was gay and that was why he couldn't keep any of his mates.

"If that is true, then I would like you and fifteen members of the guard present tomorrow morning at my workout." I told him.

"Ooh." I could see him smile from the corner of my eye. "Why are we coming?"

"Demonstration." I told him matter-of-factly.

"Really? Wait…" I glanced down to see his eye pressed up against the monitor.

"What are you doing?" I asked. I could hear Emmett laughing behind me.

"Carlisle Cullen!" Aro all but yelled into the monitor. "Are you there old friend?"

I glanced into the rearview mirror to see Carlisle roll his eyes and lean forwards. His head appeared between the seats.

"Hello Aro." He said with perfect manners. "How are you?"

"Just fine, friend. Just fine." Aro smiled, pulling his ruby red eye away from the monitor screen. "I trust that my lovely Bella has been treating you guys fairly."

"Of course. She has been nothing short of hospitable." Carlisle said kindly.

"Splendid. I trust her with my life." Aro told him. I smiled down at him. That was really kind of him. I didn't know he cared that much. I was shocked at how much that touched me.

"As would I." Carlisle responded.

"Bella, darling? What time do you think you will be arriving?" Aro asked.

"Well," I paused looking around me for any clue of where we were. I saw a sign that said "Volterra 6." "We should be there in about seven minutes." I told him, pushing the limo faster. I briefly wondered why Alice hadn't intervened and told me when we were going to get there.

"Sounds lovely dear." He replied. "Shall I have someone meet you down in the garage to grab the bags?"

"Sure. I will take them down into the left wing garage. I believe their rooms are closer to there than the right wing." I told him as I exited the highway. I could see the castle in the distance.

"Well, I think I should let you know that you should clear all visits for the next month." I told him.

"Oh, joy! Are the Cullen's extending their visit?" Aro asked excitedly.

"So it would seem." I smiled. "Well, I will talk to you later, I can see the castle from here. Bye."

"Toodles!" He said before hanging up.

"He is too energetic for his own good." I sighed. "Alice, he could give you a run for your money in the hyperactive department."

"I agree." Emmett said.

"This should be an interesting month." Jasper sighed. "I don't know how I am going to survive all of that energy. Alice, I can handle. But being hit from both sides with her and Aro, I am not sure how I will do it."

"I have a question." I told them.

"What is it Bella?" Esme asked.

"Why, when I was trying to figure out how long it would take me to get to Volterra, did you not tell me Alice? Usually, you look ahead and know exactly how long it will take." I asked, raising an eyebrow at her while keeping my eyes on the quickly approaching castle.

"Well, the Voltouri aren't exactly sure what we can do." Alice told me.

"And we would like to keep it that way, if it is possible." Edward added.

"You can trust me to do that. Aro can't read my mind so your secret is safe with me. Just don't let him touch you." I wrinkled my nose at the fact that this might be a very had month.

"He can't access your thoughts?" Edward asked.

"If you cannot, what makes you think that he could?" I replied.

"It makes sense I guess." He seemed kind of smug about the fact that Aro couldn't access my thoughts. Strange.

"Well, we are pulling up to the outer area of the castle right now." I said switching into tour guide mode.

"The castle was built back in the 15th century and has been home to the Voltouri ever since. It is also an extremely safe place for humans to reside seeing as that no vampire attacks are allowed within the city boundaries. Normally this is when I ask that our visitors please refrain from hunting within the city but seeing as you guys are not my normal guests, I guess I don't have to tell you that." I told them.

"There is a forest about a quarter of a mile to the north of the castle grounds that is abundant in its wildlife. If you wish, you may hunt there. Or if you feel the need to escape for a little while, I can loan you a vehicle for a while so that you may travel a little farther in order to hunt." I smiled as I wove my way through the complex streets of the castle's back alleys.

When I saw a large wooden door ahead, I pressed a button on the dashboard that opened the garage doors. As we pulled in, the lights came on, illuminating the plethora of cars in this garage.

"Holy shit." I heard Rosalie curse.

"I would kill something important to have some of these cars." Emmett whistled.

"Stop the car!" Rosalie yelled.

I slammed on the brakes as she hopped out and strolled over to the Ferrari Enzo that was sitting next to a DB9.

I rolled down my window. "Rose?" I called. "Do you want to drive it?" I asked her. That was my Ferrari that Aro and Heidi had gotten me for my birthday. I didn't like it as much as my McLaren or my Carving Concept, but it was definitely something nice to drive.

"Yes. Good God, yes!" She exclaimed, peering through the window at the interior.

I put the limo in park and got out, walking over to her. By the time I had gotten over to my Enzo, the rest of the Cullens had gotten out of the Mercedes limo and were looking around.

Emmett was eyeing a large Hummer H3 Alpha. Carlisle and Esme were looking at a Range Rover. Alice was sitting on a yellow Porsche telling Edward to get it for her for Christmas. And Jasper was running his hand over the hood of the brand new Camaro.

Where was Edward? I craned my neck looking for him as Rose blabbed on about the horsepower and V12 engine on the Enzo. Then I saw him. He was leaning against my F400 Carving Concept about two cars down from me. But he wasn't admiring the cars as his family was. He was staring right at me. I blushed the color of my Ferrari.

"Bella?" Rosalie shook my arm.

"Yeah?"

"Can I really drive this?" She asked, her eyes sparkling with hope.

"Sure, I don't mind. It has only ever been out of here twice unless Demitri borrowed it again." I shrugged, looking around for my McLaren.

"Hold on there sweetie." Rose said. "Is this your Enzo?"

I looked down at the tires of my car, suddenly very interested in the non-existent dirt on it.

"Umm… well… yeah… I guess." I mumbled as I walked quickly away from the car, having spotted my McLaren a few rows down.

"ISABELLA!" Rose yelled causing all of the Cullens to run over to us.

"Yes Rose?" I asked, already anticipating the question.

"You mean to tell me that not only do you have a McLaren, and a Carving Concept, but you also have an Enzo Ferrari?" She cried.

"Yeah… so?" I said.

"Sweet Heavens child." She swore.

"How about we all get back in the limo, and we can come back and play with they shiny cars later and I can tell you all about the cars I own, okay?" I walked back to the limo.

The Cullens followed after.

"Nice car." Emmett said as he got in.

"Thanks." I told him. "Have you still got your Jeep?"

"Definitely! I love that thing!" He chuckled.

I smiled, thinking about all the times I had been in his Jeep.

We pulled up to the loading area towards the back of the garage. As soon as I cut the engine, three of the guard appeared out of the castle doors and began unloading luggage.

"Well," I said, clearing my throat as we all got out. "Let's begin our tour. Shall we?"

"Of course." Esme replied.

Alice linked her arm with mine and drug me off towards the large doors leading into the castle.

Here goes nothing…

* * *

A/N: My longest chapter by far!

Hope you liked it!


	8. The Adventure

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. However, I do own a large bag of potato chips which I am currently munching on. Mmmm… Cheddar and Sour Cream Ruffles!

I am sorry that the last chapter turned out in all italics. My computer is being a pain.

Okay! Everyone love the cars?? I know I did. I am actually giving Bella all of my personal favorite cars. I would like to let you know that Bella only owns three cars… as of right now. (Mercedes: SLR McLaren & F400 Carving Concept. Ferrari: Enzo.)

Yes, I am a car buff. I could probably give Rose and Jacob a run for their money on car-related business.

I hope you guys enjoyed the length of that last chapter! My chapters will just get longer and longer as I figure out how to word certain things.

Oh! And I am terribly sorry that it has been so long since I updated! (six days) I had three major exams this week, my last one was Friday, so I am free of exams until next Friday. Sorry for the wait. Can you find it in your lovely hearts to forgive me?

This chapter is inspired by Angels and Airwaves. Go listen to them! And now…More of what you want…

So, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER EIGHT!

* * *

I'm the first to know. My dearest friends

Even if your hope has burned with time.

Anything that is dead shall be re-grown.

And your vicious pain, your warning sign.

You will be fine.

--"The Adventure" by Angels and Airwaves

* * *

Chapter Eight

BPOV

Alice linked her arm with mine and drug me off towards the large doors leading into the castle.

Here goes nothing…

"Bella!" Alice squealed as I lead her into the receiving room. It was high ceilinged with ornate pillars and murals adorning each wall. We always prided ourselves with our interior decorating. Aro let certain people design a room in the castle if it needed updating. This room was Heidi's project from last year. The colors of orange, gold, and red blended gracefully across the entire room.

It was one of the most gorgeous rooms in the castle.

Though it was meant to be warm and welcoming, instead it screamed "POWERFUL."

Oh well, at least they were making an effort.

I secretly wondered if the Cullens—namely Edward—would like the room that I decorated. It was part of the tour since it was the main turret/throne room that I had remade.

I couldn't wait for that part now!

"Yes Alice?" I asked. "Did you need something?"

"This is gorgeous." She smiled.

"You have me to thank for that." Heidi called, walking into the room.

"Hey!" I smiled before extracting my arm from Alice's grasp and stepping forward so that I could turn and look at all of the Cullens.

I could feel Edward's eyes burning into me at I spoke to them.

"Everyone, this is Heidi. She is your go-to person for arranging any activities or events that you would like to attend. Think of her as our personal P.R. representative on site." I said as Heidi laughed.

"I am much too good looking to be a boring old Public Relations person." She winked at me.

"Anyways, Heidi decorated this room last year, so if you like it, that is her fault." I chuckled.

"Yeah!" Heidi smiled easily, eyeing the Cullens. "Aro only picks certain people to decorate a room that needs updating about every ten years. Last year we redecorated. I wanted to do the throne room, but I lost that one." She smirked, sending a pointed glance at me. "Apparently I am not Aro's favorite anymore." She sniffed, being a drama queen.

She was just asking for it.

I ruffled her hair casually, causing Heidi to panic. "Shit B. Now I have to go fix it." Heidi ran off, trying to find a reflective surface to appease her vanity.

"Well, that was Heidi. I suggest that you stay away from her hair and hats because if you mess with them, she will go completely Rambo on your ass."

Rose rolled her eyes at Heidi's antics. Those two should get along just fine. And Alice could go shopping with her too. Awesome… everyone can be happy but me.

I led the Cullen's through the castle, pointing out this and that and recounting important historical tidbits when it was asked of me. I hadn't run into very many people in the hall ways, so I figured that it must have been snack time.

Throughout the entire tour, I could feel Edward's eyes on me, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. It was slightly unnerving.

Whenever I glanced back, I expected to receive icy daggers from his eyes, but instead I was met with a small—almost timid—smile and no daggers.

Huh.

Maybe he didn't hate me as I had assumed. Though, I probably should hate him, I didn't.

I got a little nervous as I led them towards the turret room. I asked them to wait just outside as I poked my head through the door. I didn't want to interrupt any of the Voltouri's… umm… festivities.

I looked around to see that the room was relatively empty.

"Bella!"

Okay, never mind. There was definitely someone in here.

"Hey Aro." I stepped into the room allowing the Cullens to talk in the hallway.

"I see that you made it back in one piece. How are you?" He asked, his eyes showing his concern.

"I am fine I guess." I shrugged like it was no big deal. "Oh, were you able to arrange for some people to come for my demonstration?"

"Of course. And you want me there too?"

"Yes please." I smiled before adding. "It will be your punishment for dropping this nuclear-bomb of a surprise on me."

He sighed. "I guess I should have told you." He looked as though he was truly sorry. I was going to tell him that it was okay when he suddenly looked up, a mischievous glint in his eye. "But where would the fun be in that? I love pulling your strings and pushing your buttons!" He smiled.

He was definitely not forgiven.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Bring in my friends!" He smiled, motioning for me to let the Cullens in.

I stalked back over to the door and opened it to find the Cullens waiting patiently on the chairs set along the wall.

"Sorry, guys." I apologized. "I had to make sure everyone was decent. I didn't want you having to walk in on a blood bath. It would have been… well… bad, I guess. But Aro is the only one in there and he seems eager to see you again Carlisle." I smiled at Carlisle as he stood up, the family following suit.

"You guys may already know, but I would not suggest any skin to skin contact with Aro if you do not wish him to hear your thoughts." I reminded them before opening the tow large wooden doors and leading them in.

"Thank you, Bella. We have taken precautions." Carlisle smiled at me, waving a gloved hand at me.

"Very nice." I smirked. The fact that they had gloves on should piss Aro off to no end. Someone pop some kettle corn, this should be one hell of a show.

"Look!" Emmett yelled. He had on white gloves and was pretending to be stuck in an imaginary box. "I am a mime you guys! This is so fucking sweet, you should try it."

"Mimes don't talk you numbskull." Rose told him.

Emmett made a big show throwing his voice away into the garbage can, grinning like an idiot.

"How was that? Am I talented or what. Watch out you frenchy mimes, make way for The Magnificent Mime: formerly known as Emmett." He yelled, instantly forgetting the silence rule.

I cracked up. "I think I better call France. They might have an epidemic on their hands with the amount of mimes you will put out of business."

Everyone laughed and rolled their eyes as Em—sorry, I mean, The Magnificent Mine—was showing off more of his skills.

"Okay Mr. Magnificent, why don't you mime your way through those doors." I told him, pointing towards the opens door to the throne room.

Emmett just smiled as he pretended that he was being pulled toward the open door.

I followed close behind as Emmett's mime skills pulled him into the turret room.

Once the entire family was inside, I closed the door. Aro was sitting at his chair directly across from the main door, a smirk on his face as he eyed Emmett—who at the current moment was, once again, stuck in a box.

"Bella, this room is gorgeous." Esme gushed as she looked around. No one seemed to have noticed Aro sitting there.

Well, everyone except Edward.

Edward was shooting daggers at Aro with his eyes. What was that about? I swear this boy was bi-polar.

"You guys have Bella to thank for the furnishings on the room." Aro said, slowly rising and gliding over to us. His eyes were dangerously curious.

"Bella?" Esme asked looking at me.

"Yes. You remember how Heidi said that she had decorated the receiving room? Well I decorated the throne room." I blushed slightly. "Do you like it?"

They all looked around the room. I had redone the entire place wanting it to seem more antique and castle-like instead of the modern theme it had before.

There were priceless stain glass windows adorning all of the upper windows. The windows that could be reached from the ground, each held a set of burgundy and gold tasseled drapes. The drapery was drawn open right now because it was overcast outside.

I had changed out the tile floor with dark hard wood. The dark wood, mixed with the stain glass and drapes gave off the feeling of being in a rustic cathedral.

I had made the throne chairs (three of them) in the same fabric as the drapes. But instead of gold tassels, there was a simple gold fringe. The back, legs, and arm rests of the chair were sporting scarlet rubies, golden amethysts, and various other gemstones. It was very ornate. And I was extremely proud of myself for this.

"Bella, it looks just like the vintage Ralph Lauren collection that I was looking at the other day!" Alice breathed, her eyes fastened on the beams in the ceiling that were adorned with little tea lights.

"It is gorgeous." Esme smiled.

The rest of the family nodded, looking around.

"Thank you." I blushed again.

"Aw! Bella blushed." Aro exclaimed. "She doesn't do it nearly enough. It looks lovely on your skin, beautiful."

I could swear Edward growled.

I shot him a questioning glance and he just shrugged, his devastatingly beautiful face was the picture of innocence.

"Welcome my friends to Volterra." Aro decided to greet them now, instead of when they first walked in. Strange. He was one crooked cookie, I swear he has absorbed too may people's thoughts to be able to think straight.

"Aro, old friend." Carlisle stepped forward.

Aro extended his hand and Carlisle shook it. I flicker of shock passed over Aro's face before he realized that Carlisle's hands were gloved. I laughed at his half pissed/ half bewildered expression.

"So how does it feel to have more people silent to your annoying talent?" I asked him.

He just glared at me before turning back and looking at all of the Cullen's hands. When his eyes passed over Emmett, Emmett wiggled his gloved fingers suggestively at Aro, wiggling his eyebrows.

I had to go sit in one of the chairs to keep from falling over as I laughed.

"Why is your family covered Carlisle?" Aro asked.

Emmett, of course, took it the wrong way.

"Whoa there. I am not sure what you guys do here but if it is a nudist colony of vampires, I am out of here." Emmett slowly backed towards the door.

Edward, Alice, and Jasper joined in my laughter. Carlisle and Esme had their mouths covered, poorly hiding their smiles. Even Aro had cracked a smile.

"Have no fear, I do not intend on flashing my 'baggage' at you." Aro said.

"Aro!" I yelled across the room. "I told you to stop watching that ridiculous MTV. A man of your age should not have words like 'dope' and 'baggage' coming out of his mouth."

"But Bella…" He protested.

"No. You are not black, nor are you 'from the hood' so therefore, you cannot say things like that." I made little air quotes around my words for effect.

"Alright. Well, I will leave you now. I think you have a tour to finish." Aro pouted. "And here are the keys to the rooms. The bags should be there already."

"Thank you." I told him as I took the keys and watched him exit the room.

"He is slightly bonkers in his noggin. I think he has too much information crammed in his already cramped head. His ego takes up a lot of the extra space, I imagine." I said to the Cullens after Aro had exited the room.

They chuckled in agreement.

"Well, he was right about one thing. We do have a tour to finish. So how about it?" I smiled. "I am sure you guys would like to finish up and get to your rooms to… relax, I guess, for a while."

"Hell yes." Emmett eyed Rosalie.

They definitely weren't going to be relaxing, I chuckled to myself as we left the room.

We stepped into the elevator, carrying on an easy conversation with them as I led the Cullens toward their rooms.

"Here we are." I said as I pulled out the lanyard with a lot of keys on it. I selected a key and unlocked the white wood door, stepping inside.

The room was large. It had pale blue walls with ivory furniture. There was a sitting room with a large TV and a wall of windows. To the side there was a door leading to the bedroom and to my left was a door connecting to a bathroom.

"This will be Carlisle and Esme's room." I told them, handing the spare key to Esme. "If you guys ever need anything, you just have to hit this intercom button and call down to the desk. It is the equivalent of room service." I pointed to an ivory colored panel on the wall with an array of buttons. "We can bring you food if you so desire, but I am sure it isn't exactly what you have in mind when it comes to… dinner." I cringed as I thought of what that entailed.

"Also, you can play music on it. All you have to do is ask and I will be more than happy to come and hook up the music feature. I don't think these rooms have been used since we installed these things." I smiled as I walked over and opened the bedroom door. The huge Californian king sized bed was sitting in the middle of the room. The headboard was made of a dense wood painted the same shade of ivory as all of the other furniture. The walls in here were also a pale blue. The comforter on the bed was beige and blue striped, going perfectly with the colors of the room.

"I believe your luggage is right in there," I told Esme and Carlisle, pointing in the direction of the closet in the corner. Alice ran past me and flung open the closet doors, breathing a sigh of relief.

"What is wrong?" Esme asked as Alice came walking back to us.

"Just making sure we didn't get ripped off when it came to closet sizes." She smiled. Leave it to Alice to worry over whether or not her clothes would fit.

"Alice, if you run out of space, you can do what Heidi and I do, we made a separate room into a closet and dressing room. You could always do the same thing with the spare down the hall." I told her. The room was my old room from when I first came here. No one ever used it, so I figured it was safe to offer it to her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Alice gushed, crushing me in a hug.

"Pleasing you is my job." I smiled, glad I could make her happy.

"Pleasing her…" Emmett snickered.

I rolled my eyes as everyone else sent him glares.

"Emmett." I shook my head. "Sorry, but we do not offer those types of services here. However, I would hope you wouldn't need them considering the fact that you have Rosalie."

"Listen to Bella." Rose scolded Emmett. "No skanks or hos because you have me, big boy." She smiled, winking at me.

I winked back and walked out of the room and into the hall way again. All of the Cullens except Esme and Carlisle followed me out.

I walked across the hall to another door and opened it with a key. The room was the same as Esme and Carlisle's but instead of blue and ivory, it was green and brown, giving off an earthy feel.

"I want this room!" Emmett yelled, running past me and flopping on the couch. "It makes me think of running after grizzly bears!"

I laughed at him and walked in. Alice, Jasper, and Edward stayed in the hall, talking too softly for me to hear.

I handed Rosalie the spare key and made sure that she was aware of where everything was before I said my good-byes and stepped out, shutting the door behind me.

I turned and gasped.

Alice and Jasper were no where to be found. It was just me and Edward standing awkwardly—at least it was awkward for me—in the deserted hall together.

"Alice already knows which room is hers. She and Jasper ran off to it." His velvet voice told me, probably sensing my question before I asked it.

"Oh." Was all I could say.

"So…" Edward began. He fingered the hem of his shirt and looked down, not sure what to say.

"Would you like me to show you to your room?" I asked. My breath caught in my throat as he looked up at me through his thick lashes and gave me the cutest little crooked smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Yes please." He said.

I nodded once before moving down the hall, pausing at Alice and Jasper's door. Before I could knock, Alice opened it.

"I am fine. We are settled in. Thanks for the key. I will see you at ten tomorrow morning." She shot at me at high speed, grabbing the key out of my hand, and shutting the door.

"Uhh…" I sighed.

Edward chuckled from behind me. God I had missed his laugh. It was glorious.

"Well…um… let's go to your room, I guess." I shrugged as I turned to face him.

I immediately got sucked into his hypnotizing topaz gaze.

"It is that way." I mumbled, pointing down the hall, never breaking our gaze.

"I am sure it is, Bella." He laughed again. Oh, my! "But where exactly? I figure that I should get a tour like everyone else." He pouted, his bottom lip jutting out just slightly.

Damn him.

He knew I couldn't say "no" to that pout.

"Fine." I huffed, slightly miffed that he was trying to dazzle me… and succeeding.

I walked past a few more doors of rooms that were under renovation until I came to the end of the hall. The big white door at the end freaked me out for some reason. I guess it was at the prospect of being alone with Edward.

Alone. That sounded delicious. Too bad he didn't want me anymore.

I pulled out his key, my heart speeding up just slightly. As I heard the lock click open, I easily swung the door open, stepping to the side to let Edward in first. He shot me a heart-melting smile before walking into the room. I followed closely behind.

It was strange, but just by being in close proximity to him I felt my pain dull into a slight, tolerable throbbing. I knew that it wouldn't go away completely until everything was back to the way it was before. But that was impossible, so therefore, I was stuck with this dull throbbing for the rest of my life.

I realized what room Aro had him staying in when I looked around. It was my favorite room in the entire castle. I often came in here just to sit and read in the large library that was sectioned off on one side of the humongous room.

How did I not realize where I was walking before?

Oh yeah. I was thoroughly distracted by Edward Cullen.

Edward must have noticed my shock, because he tipped his head to the side, raising an eye brow.

"Sorry, I didn't realize what room this was." I told him quietly.

"What is so special about this room?" He asked, looking around before heading towards the mini-library.

"Okay, so I will tell you that this is one of the most gorgeous rooms in the entire castle, and possibly my favorite. You have access to a library with about seven hundred books, all in alphabetical order. It is also separate from most of the hustle and bustle of the daily routines of people here, so it is slightly secluded and allows me to have some privacy when I need it." I told him, as I walked over to the mini-library to join him.

The room was entirely white. White carpet, white furniture, even the book shelves were white. The only color came from the single red rose sitting in a black vase in the middle of the end-table in the sitting room, the books on the shelves and there was also an assortment of black and red pillows on the bed, sitting on top of the white comforter.

"Looks beautiful." Edward stated. I looked back to see him running his fingers along the spines of the books, but looks straight at me.

Oh…I hope he doesn't mean the books or the room for that matter. I thought as a bright blush spread over my cheeks.

"God, I have missed that." Edward told me, his voice heavy with emotion. He took a step towards me, stopping just a foot away.

I looked down, too afraid to meet his eyes.

Edward ran his fingers over my still hot cheeks, sighing contently at the warmth.

Unintentionally, I looked up to see his expression.

That was mistake number one.

What I saw in his eyes stopped me where I was.

Edward's eyes were brimming with emotion. I could see so much of him in that moment. I could see pain, hurt, guilt… and—No!—I must be seeing it wrong…

I saw love.

My heart swelled ten-fold at that moment, my pent up emotions from the past five years, rushing back to me at once. It was overwhelming to say the least. I couldn't handle it.

I didn't want to cry in front of Edward, so I took a few steps back, breaking his contact with my cheek. It was quite possibly the hardest thing I had ever done, but it was necessary.

"I am…sorry Edward." I mumbled quickly. My voice coming out breathy. I didn't speak loud for fear that my voice would crack and give me away. "I hope you find everything to your specifications, do not hesitate to contact Gianna at the desk if you need anything." I told him, turning quickly trying to escape my emotions.

Oh, no.

If I didn't get out of there within the next ten seconds I was doomed. I could not hold the tears back any longer than that.

"Bella…" He called after me, his velvet voice was pained.

My heart clenched at the pain I heard in his melodic whisper but I didn't turn around, knowing that I would never leave if I didn't leave right then.

I tossed his key next to the rose vase on my way out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

I quickly slipped my heels off and ran down the hall, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. I got one flight down before I slumped against the wall, letting my sobs wrack my body, attempting to somewhat relieve my body of a fraction of the pain I was experiencing.

It was all too much at one time, especially having them back.

No scratch that.

The family I could handle—it was just Edward that sent me into these extreme PMS-like bouts of emotion.

I feel like a hormonal pregnant woman. All he did was touch my cheek and I lost it. How the hell was I suppose to last for a whole freaking month?

The world hated me, by now I was absolutely positive of that.

I groaned at I sat down on the cold tile floor, not caring that my skirt was hiked up my legs higher than it should be. I just sat there and let the tears flow.

I needed to talk to someone.

As soon as I thought that, two stony arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me to them. I rested my head on her shoulder.

"Alice, I need help."

EPOV

The day had been going splendidly. I got to be around my angel for an interrupted period of time—even though my family was there too.

Oh well, c'est la vie.

I had practically begged Alice and Jasper to leave me and Bella alone, when Bella had gone into Emmett and Rose's room. Of course, Alice will be Alice, which meant that she complained about not spending "quality time" with her best friend. But when I told her that if Bella didn't like me then she probably wouldn't want anything to do with our family, that had effectively shut the pixie up.

As Bella had stood in my room talking to me, she blushed. I don't know what came over me. One minute I was admiring the scarlet tint on her high cheek bones and the next thing I knew, I was touching her skin.

It felt heavenly.

Her skin was—if possible—smoother and warmer (probably due to the blush) than I remembered. It sent tingles all through my finger tips and down my arm. I was thrilled that she seemed to be letting me touch her cheek. I rejoiced at the possibility that she actually wanted me to touch her.

But, of course, I was proven wrong.

Bella pulled away suddenly, and all but fled the room.

No, no, no… NO!

This may have been my only chance to ever get my Bella back. But I was acting like a cad again and had blown the opportunity. I was positive that she would never let me near her again.

I needed to talk to her and explain the fact that I was a man and we men had no control over our bodies.

No, that wasn't a good enough excuse for my actions. But then again, nothing was good enough for my Bella.

Edward! Alice's thoughts scolded me. What were you thinking? I will go check on her. You are welcome.

I sighed as I tired to block out the thoughts coming from the people in the castle. I walked back into the library and sat in a white leather futon. I needed to find a way to talk to Bella and explain everything that I had done.

Explain all of the foolish mistakes I had made.

Who was I kidding? She wasn't going to listen to me.

"You shouldn't beat yourself up." Jasper spoke from behind me.

"I didn't hear you knock." I told him, irritated that he had interrupted my wallowing.

"I didn't have to. You don't do anything behind closed doors that would warrant a knock." He shot at me.

"What is that suppose to mean?" I turned around to see his face.

"I am simply pointing out that you have no mate so therefore, you would not be doing anything that I would worry about walking in on." Jasper smirked.

I hated the jabs that they made at my non-existent sexual life. "I found my mate," I growled. "She just doesn't want me." As I spoke the last part, I turned back around, the anger at Jasper leaving my body.

And cue the mood swing, Jasper thought.

"Well, Edward, I believe that you have some serious groveling to do." He said, feeling my emotions.

"No kidding." I sighed into my hands as I rubbed my face.

"Cheer up. Alice will think of something, you know she always does. You will be kissing her ass for a long time to repay her, but it might work." Jasper had a point.

Where was that devious little wife of his? I searched through the thoughts of everyone until I found Alice's.

She was sitting on a stairwell with Bella, hugging her tightly. Bella was crying. Was that because of me? Shit. I didn't deserve to live. I am surprised that the Lord hadn't struck me down from the heavens for making such a pure, beautiful angel hurt.

I will be in your room in a few minutes to help you think of something, Edward. Alice reassured me. I love you two too much to see you throw what you have away.

I smiled slightly.

Oh! And I am positive that she still loves you. Alice thought. If she didn't love you, she wouldn't be crying over you.

She also had a point.

All of the hopes that had been squashed before now, came back—and they were stronger than before. Please, God, let Alice be right. I couldn't go on like this. Without my Bella.

Jasper chuckled at the sudden change in my emotions.

"Maybe Carlisle should give you a check up. I have never heard of a bi-polar vampire but you are as close as it comes." He said before walking out of my room.

I assumed I had about five minutes until Alice came barging into my room—also unannounced.

I walked over to the book shelves noticing the worn spines on certain books. As I looked closer, I noticed which books they were. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Sense and Sensibility, Emma…

Bella must have been the one to have read these. I picked up the battered copy of Wuthering Heights, flipping through the pages as I patiently waited for Alice's arrival.

I heard Alice coming just moments before she burst into the room.

"We have a lot of planning to do!" She squealed, launching herself into the chair across from me.

BPOV

"Alice I need some help." I sighed as Alice's arms pulled me into a sitting position and out of my slump.

"I am here for you. You know I always am." She sighed brushing my hair away from my tear stained cheeks. "At least, I hope you know that I will always be here."

"Of course I know, Alice!" I told her, turning my body so that I could wrap my arms around her.

"I have missed you Bella. You have no idea." She said after a moment of silence.

"I think I have a pretty good idea." I chuckled humorlessly.

"Bella… I think you deserve to know that when we left you, Edward was…"

"Stop Alice." I put my hands over my ears. "I think it will be better if I stay ignorant of all details."

That wasn't technically a lie. I mean, I really wanted to know what Edward has done, thought, and said throughout his entire life. But still, I didn't want to know about how Edward didn't love me anymore—if he ever truly did—and that I should move on… blah, blah, blah. My heart couldn't take another hit like that. I mean, how many times can I break till I shatter?

Mon Dieu. Or I guess since we are in Italy I should say 'Mi Dios.'

I sighed. "I am sorry, I just don't want hear about how he got on without me, or how he was just fine and moved on to another distraction quickly. I cannot handle it right now, okay?" I looked up at her, hoping my expression conveyed what I couldn't say: that I didn't want to know about something that would—in the end—hurt me.

"Bella, how can you think that? I mean, honestly, how can you sit there and believe that load of shit?" Alice gasped, turning me to face her.

"What?" I was confused. "Shit? Definitely not. I do believe this because it is true!"

"Bella, you can be so… I mean… you are so… ugh!... dense…" Alice stumbled over her words. "I need to talk to Edward."

"But, Alice…" I called after her, but she was already gone.

Everyone was leaving me when I needed them most. I guess I will have to get use to people being unreliable. It seemed to be a trend amongst humans, vampires and werewolves alike.

I slowly picked myself up, grabbed my shoes, and walked slowly back to my room. I probably looked like hell, but the people I passed were wise enough to leave me be. They were probably too scared of me.

Damn it, I hated being feared. It just added to my emotional baggage.

I was glad to find that I had left my door unlocked since I didn't feel like digging out my keys. I didn't even know where they were. Oh well, I could not care less. I just flopped down onto my bed and let the weariness and stress of the day take over my body, sending me into unconsciousness.

* * *

A/N: A little challenge for you. Find my O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) quote from one of their songs on their album "All Sides." Go! Figure it out! It is hidden in this chapter!!

Incentive? If you get it right, you get a quote from the next chapter.

Much love and an Emmett sized hug to you all!


	9. You Oughta Know

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. However, I do intend on owning Chuck Bass very soon.

A/N: Okay so I am amazed at how many people got the quote right!!

It was "Shattered (Turn the Car Around)" by O.A.R.

Love the song! Go listen.

I think I will do that in every chapter from now on. Stick a song quote in there and let you guys guess! The prize will always be a quote!! (More details at the bottom!)

Endless Sky !: I am sorry I couldn't send you a quote for guessing it right! But you were an anonymous reviewer and I can't reply to anonymous reviews!! Sorry babe!

And now to what you really want: CHAPTER NINE!

* * *

"And I'm here to remind you  
Of the mess you left when you went away  
It's not fair to deny me  
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me  
You, you, you oughta know"

--"You Oughta Know" Alanis Morissette

* * *

Chapter Nine

BPOV

Waking up at a ridiculously early time never sat well with me. Why? Well, it usually meant that I was entirely too stressed out for sleep.

And guess what?

I was awake at five eighteen in the morning and… I was stressed.

Fantastic.

I didn't have to be at the gym until nine fifteen to warm up for my demonstration, so I had plenty of time to sit in my warm bed and mull over the previous day's events. While trying to organize my feelings and emotions was a tedious task, I didn't really mind, this was something that needed to be done.

I needed to figure out where I stood with the Cullens.

As I sifted through my various emotions, trying to make sense of the chaos in my heavy heart, one thing became clear: I still loved them just the same as I had all those years ago.

But so far, has not been good, it's been shitty, and I feel awkward, as I should. They probably felt awkward about this too. They didn't want to see me again. They were simply being civil around me, using their flawless façade to make an illusion of happiness and true joy to see me here, in Volterra.

I audibly sighed, getting out of bed and starting the shower. The warmth and familiar consistency of the falling water usually helped me relax and straighten out the kinks in my mind.

Once the water had heated up, I stepped under the spray of the nozzle, reveling in the instant comfort it provided.

Mmmhhmmm….

Now to the problem at hand.

I was truly happy to see the Cullens again. Honestly, I was. But there was this eerie feeling lurking in the back of my mind and heart, warning me to be careful.

_What would I need to be careful of?_ I asked myself.

Before my mind could process its own musings, a memory was hurled at me, full force, appearing in front of my eyes before I had a chance to throw up my protective walls.

Then I saw it.

My most feared memory brought back to the surface.

My memory showed me Edward's cold emotionless face telling me that he didn't want me, telling me that I was just a distraction.

The weight of my pain pulled me to the floor of the shower. I tried to suck in a breath to clear my head, but my lungs wouldn't accept the air that they were so eagerly begging for. There was an ungodly amount of weight pressed down onto my chest, effectively crushing everything there.

My heart, too.

As the weight and pain ebbed and receded into its previously sealed safe, I felt another strong emotion wash over me.

Anger and betrayal.

I placed my hands on the cool glass of my shower, allowing it to cool the raging heat surging through me. The anger was taking over me, pushing all other feelings down in its wake as it rushed through my overheated body, taking control.

I did not want a repeat performance of what happened in the woods. I needed to protect myself.

I put my body on full lock down, closing out everything but the anger. I needed a few answers.

My anger, rampaging through my body, spewed questions at me faster than my mind could process.

Did the Cullens think that they could just waltz their rich butts back into my life and act as though nothing had happened? I was not going to be used like that again.

I was NOT someone's distraction. I was a human being and I deserved to be treated respect. I deserved to have happiness and not be thrown around at some whim of a vampire wanting to play with a human.

It was not their place to come back and thrust themselves back into my life. I would not allow it.

Self sacrificing and respecting other's feeling be damned.

I had to look out for myself sometimes. And this was one of those times.

With my mind made up, I vigorously scrubbed my hair and shaved, completing my shower. When I hopped out and dried off, I slipped on a robe and my slippers, walking out into the hall—towel wrapped around my wet hair—and went into Heidi's closet/room. I needed to look good today.

This was not about vanity—not at all. This was about proving that I am not hopeless without the Cullens to help me. I could prove to Alice that I could dress myself, prove to Jasper that I had confidence and was no longer weak. I could prove to Esme and Carlisle that I didn't need them pampering me and treating me like a "daughter." I would show Rosalie that, yes, I was still human, and I wasn't planning on changing that. During my scrimmage—I would show off of course—I would prove to Emmett that I was stronger than he ever dreamed on being.

And, lastly, I would prove to Edward that I was holding my own without him in my life and I didn't need him or his overprotective ways to shield me from danger.

With that in mind, I made my way over to the racks of clothes that Heidi has so graciously added my new clothes to.

What says sexy, confident, independent, and fierce?

I saw the perfect thing hanging in the middle of the rack of pants and jackets.

I pulled out the bright red Juicy Couture Track Suit. It was fire engine red with bold gold writing on the ass. All of the designs were flashy and caught your attention. It was the perfect mixture of comfort and boldness. It was the exact opposite of what shy, submissive Bella would have worn. And that was why it was the ideal outfit. It was like God had sensed my problems and sent me a solution in the form of clothes.

I said a quick prayer of thanks before setting the outfit on a chair and started searching for shoes and underwear.

I found a red lace bra and thong set—I didn't want unattractive underwear lines. Now for the shoes. I rummaged through box after box after box of shoes. When I was starting to wonder if I should just wear my black Nike's, I found a pair of tennis shoes that matched perfectly.

They were a pair of gold Nike shoes that matched the gold writing on the track suit.

Mission: Perfect Outfit?

Success!

I put on the clothes, dried my hair and added a little make up. I knew I was probably just going to sweat it all off, but I wanted to look the part that I was playing in the movie of my life. And my character needed a few minor touch ups before—WAH LA!—perfection.

Once I had deemed my physical appearance acceptable, I worked on the façade that I would need if I was to cover up the raging anger inside me.

I couldn't let the Cullens know what they did to me. I had to fake indifference towards them. I had to distance myself in order to heal and get everything sorted out. I needed to get away for a while.

Bingo.

I realized that I didn't have to stay in the castle; I had an escape right at my fingertips.

I remembered the offer Aro had given me about a week ago.

---

"_Bella?" Aro buzzed my room though the intercom system._

"_Yes, Aro?" I replied, wondering why he was contacting me at twelve at night._

"_I have an assignment that has just come in. Apparently there is a newborn vampire running crazy through Australia. Not only is he killing a lot of people, he is at risk of exposing us because of the sun." Aro told me._

"_Okay…" Why was he telling me this?_

"_I was wondering if you would take the assignment since you—obviously—can walk out into the sunlight without arousing suspicions. What do you think?"_

"_I will think about it, okay Aro?" I told him._

"_Sure, sure." He said. "Just tell me when you make up your mind."_

---

I realized that I had never told Aro whether or not I would accept the task. I wonder if it is still available. It wouldn't hurt to go check, would it?

Not at all.

I stopped by my room to return my clothes and quickly buzz Gianna to see where Aro was.

I pressed the button for the desk and heard a loud "BEEP" before Gianna picked up.

"Good morning, how may I help you?" She asked brightly.

"Hey!" I said weakly into the intercom, faking my enthusiasm. If I couldn't fake it with Gianna through a freaking intercom, how was I going to last in front of the Cullens?

"Oh hey Bella! What can I do for you?" She asked.

"I was wondering of you knew where Aro was right now."

"Of course, he is in his office. I don't think he is doing anything important. Should I tell him to expect you soon?" Gianna offered.

"Sure. Tell him I will see him in five minutes." I told her.

"Of course. See you soon!" How could she sound so chipper at seven in the morning?

I walked out of my room and down to the offices. Gianna waved me in, sipping a coffee—ah, coffee was her secret.

Pushing open the office door, I was met with the pleasant scent of leather bound books.

"My beautiful Bella." Aro called from behind his desk. "To what pleasure do I owe this visit?"

"Well," I began. "I was wondering if that Australian job was still up for grabs. I would like to get out and…"

"Perfect!" He cut me off. "I knew you would take it eventually!"

I smiled as he reached into one of the many drawers and pulled out a folder.

"Here is your plane ticket; it is round trip so don't worry. Your flight leaves tonight at six, so I suggest that you go pack before your little demonstration. You will need to leave almost immediately after so that you can make it to the airport on time. Felix will go with you; he has all the details on the destination and what needs to be done. Alright?"

"Thank you Aro!" I said. "I will see you in a few hours!"

I quickly exited the office, waving at Gianna as I headed towards my room.

Waiting at my door was Felix.

"Hey, did Aro tell you that we are going to Australia tonight?" I smiled.

"Yes he did." Felix replied warmly, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Do you need help packing?"

"Yeah, actually I do. Are you offering your assistance?" I liked talking to Felix like this. I felt my anger dissipate quickly. I didn't need to take it out on him, he had never wronged me.

"I believe I am, Bella."

"Well, then, follow me." I instructed, guiding him towards the large closet room.

"Whose is this?" Felix whistled as he took in the massive amounts of clothes and accessories adorning all parts of the room.

"Heidi's." I informed him. He rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "I have some stuff in here too."

We pulled out some luggage and started throwing clothes into them. We only filled up two bags because we were only going to be gone for a week at most. Once we had finished, we—well Felix—dragged my luggage out to my Ferrari. We decided to drive separately since he wanted to leave earlier than me for some reason. Who knew?

By the time we had finished, it was five before nine and I needed to get to the gym. I said my good-byes to Felix before running off.

I arrived at the gym with ten minutes to spare.

Demitri was already there arranging the various weights so that they wouldn't be knocked over. He smiled at me when I came in.

"Bella. You are early." He pointed out. "You are usually late for these sessions."

"Yeah, I know. I am sorry about that. I was just eager to beat some vampire ass today." I heard a boisterous laugh from behind me.

Shit, the Cullens were already here.

I tensed for a second, my anger resurfacing quickly. I had to quickly throw up my happy façade before anyone caught on.

When I turned around, Emmett was grinning like an idiot.

"So you think you can kick some vampire ass little Miss Swan?" He chuckled. "I don't think you could."

I could feel my mask slipping as I got pissed off. I was not going to last long at all. Who was he to question my strength? Maybe I should give him a taste of what exactly I could do.

I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Jasper raise his eyebrow questioningly. Oh, right. I had forgotten about Jasper's talent. That made my job that much harder. Hopefully he would just write it off as aggression for being challenged. Maybe not, but I sure as hell was.

"Is that a challenge Emmett? Because, I think it is only fair to warn you… I will win." I threatened, shifting my weight so that it was on the balls of my feet, anticipating the attack.

Emmett scoffed as the rest of the Cullens stared at me dumbfounded at my aggression. I decided not to take it too overboard, so I plastered a faux friendly smile on my face, hoping to let them know that I was "just kidding." Even if I wasn't.

"Bring it on, Squirt." He smiled, dropping into a crouch.

Behind Emmett, I saw Edward make a move towards Emmett to stop him but Carlisle and Alice held him back.

I pulled my hair up into a quick ponytail while I spoke.

"How do you want to do this? Brute strength against my weakness or can I even out the playing field a little?" I questioned.

"I don't like an easy victory. Even it out in any way that you need." He smirked from his crouch.

I looked to Demitri who nodded, walking towards me. He extended his hand and I grasped it. I closed my eyes, feeling the strength coarse through his veins and I drew from there. I focused of attaining his strength. Before I knew it, I felt myself rapidly becoming stronger as the strength flowing through Demitri lessened.

I drew my hand away before I completely zapped him of his strength.

I reveled in the newfound strength, walking over to the weight machine. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I reached down and effortlessly lifted the 125 lb weight with one hand. I smiled as I turned back towards the Cullens shocked faces.

I pulled my arm back and threw the weight at Emmett. It hit him square in the chest, not harming him—I wasn't that angry—but it was enough to knock him off balance.

"I think we are pretty balanced now." I smirked, walking back to where I was before.

Emmett regained his footing and charged at me. Once he was ten yards away from me, I threw up my shield, sending him slamming into the wall, knocking a weight bag out of the ceiling.

As he squirmed against me shield's grasp, I walked up to him and smiled.

"Told you I would win." I turned my back and walked over to the water fountain, releasing Emmett from the confines of my shield once I was a safe distance away.

"How the… I have never… Bella!" He whined.

I raised my eyebrow questioningly.

"I have never been pinned before! This is a major blow to my ego! It just isn't fair."

"Sorry." I told him simply. I really didn't want to talk to anyone right now. My anger had subsided (pinning Emmett had helped) but it was still there, brewing under the surface of my thin mask.

The sooner I was out of here, the better.

"That was impressive Bella." Carlisle commented. I nodded once in his direction before I walked over to where Demitri sat.

"Thank you." I smiled down at him before placing my hand on his Mark, restoring the borrowed strength.

"Bells?" Aro called walking in.

"I am sorry to cut this short, but I read your ticket wrong. You have to leave now if you are going make your flight." He told me.

"Oh! Crap! I already got the car packed so I should be out of here quickly." I said as I stood up, straightening out my sweats.

"Where are you going?" Esme asked kindly. I didn't need her kindness, why was she even bothering?

"I have to go to Australia to handle some… problems." I wasn't sure how much I was allowed to tell them plus I didn't want them to know anything. It would be better if they were left here, alone, just like they had left me.

"Hey B.! Are you ready to go kick some newborn ass?" Felix burst through the door.

Edward let out a low growl, eyeing Felix angrily.

I needed to get out of here.

"Yeah, sure." I grabbed his hand. "Let's go. I will see you guys in a week." I called over my shoulder as I dragged Felix towards the car garage.

"Wait, Bella." I heard someone call.

"You go ahead and get to the airport, I will catch up later." I told him as I turned to address the person calling me.

"Yes, Rose?" I asked coolly. Even though her departure had hurt me the least, five years ago, I still felt angry when I saw her. Granted it wasn't as much as I felt towards the others, but it was still there. She had shown a blatant dislike for me, so why should I pretend to be happy around her?

"I was wondering if I could go with you." She asked hesitantly.

"To Australia?" I was shocked. "It is kind of sunny there."

"No, I want to go with you to the airport, and I could drive your car back for you." Rose looked down, fidgeting with her belt.

"Umm…" I was caught off guard. Why would she want to do this?

"I just want to drive the car." She smiled.

Oh, that made sense. I didn't see the harm in her driving it, plus I didn't want it sitting in an airport parking lot. The Ferrari was too nice for that.

"Sure, I guess." I didn't trust her completely, but since I couldn't find anything solid to convict her with, I conceded.

"Thanks. That made my day!" She took off towards the garage with me in tow.

Half an hour later, we were on the highway, speeding off towards the airport. Rose had wanted to drive there and back, so I let her.

We hadn't said very much, just a few comments along the lines of "Do you know what a carburetor is?" and "Did you know that they made some gorgeous new chrome pipes for this Hemi engine?"

Both those comments coming from Rose.

I had to give her Kudos for at least trying to start a conversation, even though she failed miserably. I didn't know very much about cars, but more than that, I didn't want to talk to her. I was still pissed off. So I sat there mulling over my new-found emotions.

"Okay, so listen here Bella." Rose said after a few more minutes.

I turned my head towards her, so that she knew that I was listening.

"I don't know what is up with you, and I know it isn't my place to ask, but what the hell is going on?" Rosalie's voice was sharp. Maybe I had taken it too far with Emmett this morning.

"What are you talking about?" I played dumb.

She glared at me. "You were all happy and smiling last night, but now you are clearly pissed about something. And if I had to guess, I would say you were pissed at me and my family because you aren't taking it out on anyone else."

"Oh," What the hell was I suppose to say to that? I needed to think faster. "I am kind of PMSing right now. You know, mood swings and all that jazz."

Wow, that was great Bella. I really needed to have some pre-planned lines for these cases.

Rose looked at me for a second before taking a deep breath. "I don't smell anything, and vampires can smell when you are on your period. It is blood, remember?" She raised an eyebrow accusingly. "Nice try Bella but no cigar."

Splendid. I didn't have any other excuses so I just chose to sit there in silence.

"I am going to talk here and you don't have to listen or answer me, but I wish you would. I want to get this sorted out." Rosalie said.

"I am not sure what you think of me, but it can't be pleasant. I guess that is entirely my fault. I don't hate you Bella, I am just jealous that you have the opportunity to have a lot of things I never had. All I have is my looks. You have the looks and a stellar power—and you are still human! That is huge. I would give anything to have those things." She paused.

Rose thought I was beautiful? And she didn't hate me? That came out of no where.

"I know you are probably shocked right now." I just nodded.

"That is what I thought."

"Why did you act that way then? Why did you pretend to hate me?"

Rosalie sighed. "Like I said before, I was jealous."

I just sat there like an idiot. My anger was momentarily forgotten as I tried to absorb what Rose was saying. Maybe she wasn't that bad. At least she had the decency to tell me the truth, no matter how blunt it was. I liked that about her. Edward and Alice had always tried to hide everything from me or if they told me, it was watered down and only the bare minimum of what I needed to know.

"So, Bella, I am really sorry about any problems my bitchiness caused you. I really wasn't thinking. But these last few years, with everything that has happened, it made me realize just how special you are. So I am truly sorry." She told me. "I don't expect you to forgive me or even accept my apology, I just wanted to let you know how I felt and that I knew I was wrong."

Holy crap!

I thought for a moment before responding. "I forgive you Rosalie, no harm done." I didn't see the problem with forgiving her. I wasn't mad at her for being a bitch, I was just mad about her leaving with the rest of them.

"Thank you Bella." She beamed, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

I thought over what she had just said. What did she mean by what has "happened the last few years?" Should I ask? I guess the more I knew the more leverage I would have. Plus, I had the feeling that Rose would tell me just about anything right now since her walls were down.

"What did you mean about everything happening over the last few years?"

"Our family was a mess. Alice was depressed, which made Jasper depressed. And when Jasper gets like that, he can't control his emotions, which means that they leak out and affect everyone. Carlisle didn't go back to any hospitals. He just stayed in his study for ridiculously long amounts of time. Esme was torn apart at the prospect of losing her family. Emmett sulked around, not even wanting to challenge anyone to a wrestling match! And Edward? Well he up and left us for three years before Carlisle convinced him to come back. No one is sure what he was doing for those years. We haven't had the nerve to ask." Rose told me.

Why was their family falling apart like that?

"But you guys seem fine right now? Did the problem get fixed?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Well… at least I think the problem is fixed." She looked over at me as we pulled into the airport.

"You think?" I snorted. "Shouldn't you know these things?"

"Well, it hasn't been discussed yet. You see they 'glue' to our family inst exactly showing an interest in any of us anymore." Rose smirked.

"Oh." She was talking about me. I really didn't want to get into this with her now, I just wanted to get out of here. As soon as the car was parked, I flew out of the door and yanked my luggage out of the back.

"Thanks for the ride Rose. I hope you enjoy the car." I called.

"We will be talking when you get back." She told me. "I have a few questions."

I pushed my way through the crowd, quickly locating Felix.

"Ready to go, Bella?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure, let's go." I said, my words rushed.

The next week was going to be hard. I had too much to sort through and not enough time. Plus, Rosalie had just given me something else to think over. The possibility that the Cullens really needed me.

Problems, problems, problems.

I hate them.

Felix and I walked through the security and stood in line with our boarding passes.

The lady gave me back my passport and boarding pass and I walked into the connector to the plane. I turned to wait for Felix, but what I saw wasn't Felix.

With the expression of a broken angel on his face, Edward stood just outside of the terminal, staring at me. Before he could do anything, Felix ushered me into the plane.

EPOV

What was with Bella today?

Yesterday she had been friendly and joking around with us and I had hope for us again. But today she was as cold as my dead heart. I didn't understand.

Maybe I had scared her away by moving too fast last night. I really hoped not.

I watched, amazed, as my angel pinned Emmett effortlessly. She was perfect.

When Aro showed up, telling Bella that her flight was leaving, I was lost. Had we driven her out of her home? But Felix quickly cleared that up when he came in announcing the fact that they were going to go kill some newborns. Had Bella ever killed anything before? Was her innocence taken by these monsters here?

I had growled before I could stop it.

When Bella walked out, Rose followed after, wanting to talk to her.

"I need to go." I excused myself, running quickly to the reception desk. The human behind it was startled by my sudden appearance.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I need a car, fast." I demanded. I didn't have time for pleasantries.

The human woman threw me a set of keys and told me what car they went to. It was Bella's McLaren.

I ran into the garage, jumping into the car and speeding out of there.

I wasn't sure what I was doing right now. What was I going to do when I got the airport? Was I going to tell her that I came to wish her a good trip? No. I wanted her to stay. If she was gone for the week, then that was that much less time that I had to make everything up to her and to set her right. She just needed to listen to me for five minutes. I didn't care if she rejected me after I told her why I had left her, I just needed her to know.

When I pulled into the airport, I spotted the Ferrari at the curb. Bella was dragging her luggage through the doors and disappearing from sight.

I parked behind Rose.

_You better hurry Edward and you better have one hell of an explanation or whatever, because she isn't likely to listen right now._ Rose's thoughts warned me.

Since when was she so helpful?

A flash of Rose and Bella talking flashed through her mind.

Apparently they had talked with each other and Rose had decided that Bella wasn't that bad. Why hadn't I thought to drive her? That would have been an hour of time alone with Bella. I am sure that I would have driven slowly just to draw out that hour.

I rushed into the lobby, searching around frantically. I had lost Bella in the crowds.

No!

I pushed through weak people, searching the minds of everyone around me. Finally I found her.

She was just walking through security with Felix. I couldn't go any farther without a ticket, so I did what only made sense: I went and bought another ticket.

After passing through security, I checked the board for the terminal that Bella was in. once I had found it, I rushed off towards her plane.

As I made my way though the people, my mind wandered.

What if she told me to turn around and go back, and that she was only going to Australia to get away from me? I don't think that my dead heart could handle that.

I knew she had every right to not want anything to do with me, but I hoped—no, prayed—that she could find it in her heart to forgive me. But right now, my chances weren't looking good.

I got to the terminal just in time to see her step into the bridge connecting to her plane. My heart broke in two. I couldn't last another week without talking to her. I had gone five years without her; I would not last much longer. She turned—I assume to wait for Felix—when she saw me.

I was about to call to her, to go to her, but Felix intervened.

_What is with Cullen?_Felix thought. _Why does he look like someone just punted his favorite puppy? Whatever…_

He grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her into the plane.

And just like that, my angel was out of reach.

I stood there for God-only-knows how long, staring after the long departed plane.

A cool hand on my shoulder made me jump.

"Sorry, Edward." Jasper comforted me.

"Me too."

"She will be back soon. Just think of it this way, you have a week to think of something to get her back." He said.

He had a point. A really good point, actually. "You are right." I told Jasper. "Let's go back."

Alice was leaning up against the McLaren when we walked out. A yellow Porsche sat behind it.

"Jasper, you are driving Edward back. I will meet you two there." She said before walking off.

_All his fault…dumbass…_ She thought as she sped off.

"What is wrong with Alice?" I asked. I never saw my usually happy sister act like this. It took a lot to make her mad.

"How about we get on the road before I explain." He said as he jumped into the driver's seat, having taken the keys from me.

Once we were on the road again, he spoke.

"Alice is angry with you." He simply put it.

"Why? What did I do?" I hadn't done anything to her! Why was she acting like this?

"She blames the fact that Bella is acting distant on you. I believe she said something along the lines of you being a selfish masochist who wouldn't know a good thing if it was shouting in your face. She thinks that Bella hates her because you made us leave and now Bella is taking your mistake out on her." Jasper told me. I could see flashes of Alice's angry face flash through his mind.

"Oh." I said simply.

I hadn't considered that. Bella was Alice's best friend. Of course it would hurt her that she was being ignored. It was only fair that she would blame me.

I guess that meant Alice wasn't going to be helping me figure out how to get Bella back. That was solely on me. And I was drawing a blank.

We arrived back at the castle, and Jasper ran off to find Alice.

I took my time walking to my room, thinking of what I could do.

I slammed the door shut behind me. I stomped into my bathroom, taking my shirt off. I needed a shower. As I looked at my refection in the mirror, I saw my bite mark. Just a faint crescent moon on my neck.

And just like that I knew how to get Bella back. My hope increased dramatically, and I smiled for what seemed like the first time in centuries.

I had a plan!

* * *

A/N: Okay, so the lyrics are from Finger Eleven. Go find them and you get a quote from the next chapter!

Go, go, go!


	10. Closer

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. However, I do own TWO ticket stubs as proof that I saw the movie… TWICE!

Okay, no worries, I won't spoil it for you, but I saw the movie. And… I liked it! Honestly, they could have done a lot worse than they did. PM me and let's talk about it!

On another note, I will be going on Thanksgiving break Wednesday! So, I will have more time to write and hopefully get ahead in the story! But, even though I will write more, I will not post-as-I-go. Sorry, but you will only get one or two chapters a week. That is what I have been doing, and that is what I will keep doing. I have to limit my postings or else you will get this entire story in one day and while that might make you happy, I want to drag it out. Dramatic effect and all that jazz.

Anyways, the quote in the last chapter was from Finger Eleven's Paralyzer. It was "But so far has not been good. It's been shitty, and I feel awkward as I should."

Same deal for this chapter, too. I will stick a quote in here and you musically blessed persons can go on a "Quote Hunt." (Catchy name, yes? I think I will refer to it as a Quote Hunt from now on.)

Happy hunting my readers!

And please remember: if you are an anonymous reviewer, I cannot reply to your reviews. Sorry! Just email me if you want to chat.

Now, onto what you really want.

Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER TEN! (We have hit double digits!)

* * *

"I still hear her loud and clear, like she is right there in my ear…

And just can't pull myself away, under a spell I can't break…

I just can't stop. But I don't want to escape."

--"Closer" Ne-Yo

* * *

Chapter Ten

EPOV

My epiphany left me on a high. It had to work, I needed it to work. My sanity and entire existence rested on this.

It needed to be perfect.

The only problem was that my usual helper was ignoring the fact that I was even here. Alice had effectively blocked me from all of her thoughts, making me wonder what exactly she was up to in her devious little mind.

I should probably be scared for me, Bella, or both of us. But that was the least of my concerns.

I still had the keys to the McLaren I had borrowed yesterday, so I decided to go out for a drive. I needed to hunt and make a few quick stops if I was going to pull this off correctly.

I pulled on an ivory sweater and some jeans, slipping the keys into my back pocket.

No sooner than I had opened the door to exit my room, Alice appeared, glaring at me.

"You. Are. Such. A. Dumbass." She said slowly.

I looked into her thoughts but all that I could find was the songs from "Mulan" playing. She was currently singing a rendition of "I'll Make A Man Out Of You."

"Yes Alice?" I asked. I knew she blamed me for the fact that Bella was distancing herself from us. I briefly wondered how Australia was. Her plane had landed about seven hours ago.

When Alice spoke again, she didn't say what I expected her to say.

"If you think you can pull your plan off without my expert opinion, you are dead wrong, Mister." She smirked at me. Her thoughts opened up to me—just slightly—allowing me to see the vision she had had of me. In the vision, I was running my hands through my hair with vigor as I debated between two different items to buy. The vision showed me getting frustrated and walking out without getting either of the items.

Great, so I couldn't even pick out something simple! How was I ever going to pull this off?

"With my help, of course." Alice answered, anticipating my dilemma.

"So you are talking to me again?" I asked her.

"Not exactly. I still am mad at you for all of your ridiculous decisions that got us here, but, nevertheless, we are here and I cannot change that." She sighed. "I guess I am calling a truce of sorts. I am still incredibly angry at you, but I will tolerate it until you make this right. I will not rest until this has been set straight! Mark my words!"

The little pixie pounded her fist into her hand with every word as if to drive the point home.

"Alice, you do realize the absurdity of that statement, yes?" I asked. "You cannot rest, even if you wanted to."

"I meant shopping, Ed-ward." She jutted her chin out and spoke in a mocking tone, dragging out my name, slowly enunciating both of the syllables.

"Alright, Al-ice." I mocked her, also dragging her name out. She was already pissed off at me, a little teasing could hurt. Maybe I could lighten her mood.

Her glare told me all I needed to know.

There would be no more teasing. Alice was not going to tolerate it today.

"Here is the plan. You need to go talk to Jasper right now. He said that he found something interesting—and possibly of consequence—yesterday. I already looked into what he was going to say and I think it would benefit you to go and hear him out." She thought for a second, a check list appeared in her head. She mentally crossed a few things out before going to the next thing on her list.

"I thought you weren't going shopping?" I pointed out. The next item on her list had said 'shopping.'

"I am not shopping for myself. I am going for Bella. We will need a few things to set this up. And even then, this won't be ready within the next four days. It is going to take about a week and a half."

"Four days?" I asked, my smile growing immensely. She had said it was going to be a week, but now I was ecstatic about the fact that she would be returning sooner than previously expected.

"Thank you, Alice." I hugged her. "I know you aren't happy with me right now, but I will make this better."

"I believe you." She hugged me back. "Now go talk to my wonderful husband! He is pacing a hole in the floor of the main library. He is in the 'War, Battle, and Conflict' section of course."

I kissed her forehead before walking off. My hunt would have to wait.

BPOV

"Bella?" Felix called to me as he took our Hummer off the main road. "Are you in there?"

"Sorry." I mumbled, looking back out the window.

I had spent the last nine hours thinking over what exactly I could do to avoid confrontation with the Cullens. So far I hadn't come up with many ideas.

Actually, that was a lie.

I had come up with a wide variety of possibilities. I could leave for a while, on a vacation, and go somewhere sunny. I could take a few more guard operations and get out on official business for a while longer. Or, I could just hide in my room and become a social hermit for the next four weeks.

Of course I had found a fault with each one.

Sunny was a bad idea because I might get a sunburn. Guard duty was dangerous and I couldn't trust myself to stay focused enough to get it done right. And hiding in my room… well that showed that I was weak and scared.

Yeah, I definitely couldn't do any of those.

But who am I kidding? "I might get a sunburn?" Seriously? No, I was just lying to myself. I didn't really want to leave. Even though I was pissed off beyond belief, I could not deny the pull that I still felt towards the Cullens.

In all honesty, I didn't want to avoid the Cullens but I felt that it was necessary in order to protect my heart. I couldn't take another blow like the last.

Yes, detachment was for the best.

I could feel the tears well up as my pent-up emotions got the best of me.

"Bella, why are you crying? It is just a rock." Felix asked. Apparently he had heard my sniffles.

A rock? What the hell?

I looked out of my window to see a gigantic red rock protruding from the earth.

"Umm… what is that?" I asked as I dried my tears, hiding the evidence.

"That, Bella, is the pride of the Australians!" He exclaimed as we continued to near the huge rock formation. "Welcome to Ayers Rock!" He waved his hand in front of him, indicating the massive size of the rock/plateau thing.

"Oh, I have heard of that." A few geography lessons from senior year flashed through my mind. "Why are we here? Are you taking me sight-seeing? "

"Nah. Unless you want me to." He replied. I just shook my head. "The vamps we are here for are partying inside there. I think they are in a cave half way up the south side. I can smell them from here." He sniffed the air.

"Alright, so what do we do about them?" I asked, slightly nervous. I had never done this before.

"We find somewhere shady and wait till tonight to attack. We don't want to risk them running out into broad daylight." That made sense.

"Here is how we are going to do this." He began as he started driving around Ayers Rock looking for a shady place to stay. "I am going to run in and grab the first guy I see and pull him out to you. You will drain him of his energy and then disassemble his body and begin a pile at the mouth of the cave for the fire we will have to make. Then we will go back in, you will throw up your shield while I take care of them. Got it?" He asked.

I nodded in response.

"Alright, this should be quick and simple. Be sure to be quiet, we don't want to give ourselves away before it is necessary."

"I think I can handle it." I lied. Now that it was actually being asked of me to kill something, I wasn't so sure that I could follow through. My stomach was seizing up with my nerves. At least Felix wasn't Jasper.

"Here we are." Felix pulled the Hummer behind a large rock and climbed out. I followed suit.

He climbed up into a cave just ten feet above out heads, before leaning over and offering me his hand. I accepted it and allowed myself to be pulled up.

"Okay, it is four in the afternoon right now, so I will be in the cave and staying out of the sun. You can stay out here if you wish, but at the first sign of anything suspicious, alert me immediately. I have direct orders to protect you above anything else." Felix gave me a small smile before disappearing into the mouth of the cave.

I decided to get some sun on my paler-than-usual skin. I was already in a pair of shorts, so I just pulled off my shirt, leaving me in a small tank-top that didn't even begin to cover my mid-rift. I slipped my shoes off too, letting my feet breath.

Ah.

The sun felt good compared to the frigid cold of the people I hung around.

I laid down on the rock next to the cave and relaxed…

"Bella, get dressed. We need to get ready." Felix shook me awake.

I winced at his hand on my arm. I was definitely going to be burnt. I guess that is what I get for falling asleep in the sunlight in Australia of all places. I vaguely remember someone saying something about the O-Zone here deteriorating.

Great.

Cancer, meet Bella.

I guess it was inevitable; I was going to die soon anyways. My outlook on life was not that good. Because of my clumsiness and danger-prone activities I estimated that I would not make it to twenty-six… if I was lucky.

"Okay, give me my clothes." I sat up and looked around. It was twilight. The perfect time to get in position for our attack. But we needed to hurry.

I quickly slipped on my clothes and silently—well, as silently as possible for me—followed Felix up towards the top of Ayers Rock.

When we reached the top, Felix picked me up and ran me over to the opposite side. Since I had yet to suck any strength from a vampire, I could not run fast… yet.

_Just give it a few minutes. _I thought to myself as Felix sat me down, placing a hand over his lips, indicating the need to be silent.

We crept to the side and peered over the ledge.

There was a shelf of rock jutting out from the cliff-face about nineteen feet below us. It was too far for a human to jump to without breaking something. To Felix, though, it was just like skipping through a park.

Slice of pie.

We listened for a minute, hearing the faint murmur of two vampires, no more than ten feet inside the cave.

"I will get both of them to you." Felix mouthed, not risking being overheard.

He swept me up into his arms once more and lithely dropped onto the ledge without a sound. He set me on a rock off to the side and ran inside the cave. I could hear two snapping sounds and one slightly muffled scream before Felix appeared in front of me with two restrained vampire men. I quickly found their Marks and drained every last bit of their strength.

I instantly felt the flow of the new found power coursing through my body.

Felix grabbed one of the men and tore him to pieces. I realized that I needed to do the same.

Bracing myself, I put my body on auto-pilot, shutting down any and all thoughts and emotions towards what I was about to do. As my instincts took over, my hands reached out and easily dismantled the body.

_Don't think about it, Bella. You have to do it. _I thought. _This is a prerequisite of your job choice, deal with it._

Once the vampire's body was sufficiently pulled apart, I placed the pieces into a pile with Felix's kill. We would light the fire later. Right now, we had a task to complete.

Felix motioned for me to go into the cave first considering that I was twice as strong as he was right now from draining both vampires.

I got no more than one hundred feet into the cave before my heightened senses picked up some movement right up ahead. I stopped and motioned to Felix to let him know that there were people in front of us.

He nodded, acknowledging that he heard them. He held up seven fingers indicating that there were seven of them. It was times like these when his ability of sensing other's presences came in handy.

I nodded back at him before running the rest of the way into the cavernous room housing the seven vampires; Felix followed close behind. I stopped in the center of the room, startling the vampires inside.

"What the…" Was all that the guy on my right got out before I threw up my shield at full force.

The seven vampires—plus Felix, oops—were pinned against the wall with no hope of breaking free.

"Bella?" Felix called.

"Sorry, let me help you out." I said as I tried to focus on his energy signature in order to release him.

"You can help me out." One man next to Felix said as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Men. They were all cads.

"I'm not here for your entertainment." I snorted. "You really don't want to mess with me tonight." I threw up a shield around his mouth, blocking all noises in his throat.

Felix dropped to the ground, freed from his constraints.

"Thanks." He said simply, brushing off his pants.

Felix set off around the room, pulling apart the pinned vampires as I focused on holding my shield. It was a big room so it was taking a lot out of me to hold all of the vampires in place and keep from slamming Felix into the wall too. It was quite a daunting task and I was quickly loosing steam.

"Felix…" I whined as I felt more strength slip from my grasp. "I have five minutes, tops, left in me. Hurry up."

He nodded as he sped up, now only pulling off the limbs and heads before carrying them out to the fire that was now savagely lapping at the remains.

Felix managed to finish off all but one of them within the next two and a half minutes.

"Bella, release the shield, I want you to drain this one so that you don't pass out from your exertion. We still need to make it back to the Hummer and out of here quickly." I relaxed and let the shield fall, releasing the captor.

Felix dragged the snarling woman over to me as I quickly found her Mark and drained her. He tore her apart as I took a few deep breaths, preparing myself for the run we were about to take. I was going to need to carry Felix because at the current moment, I was much faster than he was.

When Felix returned from the fire, he came right up to me.

"Will I be carrying you, or vice versa?" He questioned.

I tested my strength out; running quickly around the cave. I seemed fine and I felt fine.

All systems are go.

I walked over to Felix and held my arms out to him.

"I can only hold up for about six or seven minutes but I think it will be enough to get us back to the Hummer." I told him as I grabbed him up.

His weight slowed me down—but only slightly—as I raced out of the cave and into the darkness. I jumped from rock ledge to rock ledge as I made my way down the face of Ayers Rock.

Once safely on the ground, I sped off towards the Hummer, setting Felix down once we were in sight of the vehicle.

We quickly got inside and sped off in the direction of Lasseter Highway. We had rented a hotel room in the nearby town of Yulara.

We needed to stay close by for about two or three days to make sure that nothing suspicious popped up or was found.

This was actually the hard part. If any complications did turn up, it was our job to clear out all possible evidence that could convict us. Call us a clean up crew.

I felt the remainder of my borrowed strength leave me and my eyes drooped.

"Sleep, Bella." Felix said softly. "You deserve it."

I smiled slightly as I passed into unconsciousness.

EPOV

I tapped on the door of the library before letting myself in. I could hear Jasper's thoughts calling me towards the right side of the library.

As I walked up to him, he stopped pacing.

His thoughts were blocked from me—why did they keep doing this?—and then motioned towards a pair of leather arm chairs sitting around a coffee table.

I made myself comfortable before waiting for him to speak. I was anxious to hear what he was going to say.

Usually when Jasper spoke, it was something deep and intuitive. The fact that he seemed on edge about this probably meant that it was incredibly important.

After a moment or two of silence, Jasper looked directly into my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Edward, I was analyzing yesterday's events and I noticed something strange." He began, straightening out at crooked book on the table.

"Yes?" I prodded, wanting more than the simple explanation he was giving me.

"Bella's emotions… well, they were all over the charts. It was obvious that she was trying to repress the worst of them, but a few slipped out. Especially when Emmett challenged her. I could feel this intense anger swell up inside her but there was something else there. It wasn't very prominent but it was definitely there." He said.

"And that was…?" I asked, growing impatient. I really want him to get to the point and right now he was dancing all around it.

"She was feeling a strong sense of loss—more accurately, abandonment." He rubbed his face roughly. "I don't know why she was feeling the anger but I guess that it directly correlates with the abandonment."

I groaned out loud. She was feeling this because of me.

Damn it.

"Jasper, next time she feels anything like that again, let me know immediately." I instructed.

"I will." He assured me.

I nodded and said my thanks before I left the library and made my way to Alice and Jasper's room. The plotting pixie and I had some planning to do.

"Alice I was thinking that we shouldn't go too overboard." I announced as I walked into the room.

"And why is that?" Alice frowned at me from her spot on the bed; her laptop sitting open in front of her. From her thoughts, she was already shopping.

"Well, you know how Bella feels about money being spent on her. And if we go too overboard with anything at all, she will figure that something is up before I can even get her to listen to what I am saying." I told her.

Alice seemed to find reason in my words because she started to cross unnecessary items off her long list.

"Oh, and Alice?" I asked, noticing something on the list.

"Mhhmmm?" She mumbled at me.

"I don't know why exactly we would need an Orchestral Accompaniment, but please remove it from your list. I can provide all the music necessary."

"Why do you want me to take it off?" Alice pouted pathetically.

"Alice, I am not proposing." I said. "I simply want Bella to listen to what I have to say."

"But an Orchestra would be a nice touch." She tried to argue but I wasn't having it.

"No. If anyone will be playing music, it will be me and my piano." I said. My tone let her know that this was over.

"Fine. But that means that we will need to get you a piano."

"Not necessarily." I told her. "I bet there is a decent piano in the castle. I am going to go look for one. And, while I am searching, I will look for a nice, private, room that we can use."

"Alright. I will shop around for some 'necessary' items." Alice rolled her eyes.

"Thank you." I called over my shoulder as I sprinted out of the room.

This had to be perfect.

I searched the castle thoroughly, finding nothing that could help me. But when I walked out onto the grounds, I found the best spot.

There was a conservatory sitting just to the side of one of the greenhouses. I opened the door and flipped the lights on, discovering a large accompaniment of instruments, propped up against a wall, long ago abandoned.

It was a musical graveyard.

I made my way down the entrance stairs and towards the stage. A large black sheet was covering a large instrument sitting in the orchestral pit, surrounded by a tuba, a variety of woodwinds.

Reaching out towards the sheet, I pulled it off to reveal a sleek black Baldwin piano.

Perfection.

It would seem that the good Lord was turning lady luck in my favor. I could only hope that it would remain that way.

* * *

A/N: Okay—Quote Hunt time. You are looking for lyrics from P!NK. Go!

Good luck and happy hunting!

P.S.: Does anyone else think that Rob P. has ridiculously small teeth?


	11. Puggy

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own a severe case of ADD.

A/N: Thanksgiving Break is here and that means… I can spend all day on the computer without worrying about school. (So I take that back, I still have to study and do some assignments but it isn't anything I can't handle.) I would like to wish all you Americans out there a Happy Turkey Day! Go watch the parade and eat until you puke. (That is what I am going to do… plus go see a few basketball games…maybe soccer, too.)

Last chapter's quote was: "I'm not here for your entertainment, you really don't want to mess with me tonight." Form P!nk's 'U & UR Hand."

THERE IS A CHANCE TO GET THREE QUOTES!

I am feeling giving since it is Thanksgiving, so if you review this chapter, you will get a quote AND if you do the Quote Hunt and find BOTH of the song lyrics, you will get three quotes. One for reviewing and two for finding both of the quotes!

Happy hunting and reading.

Now, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, With CHAPTER ELEVEN!

* * *

"The first chord from the vein of the ore  
There it all begins.

Wave it in the air, let it breath  
This perfect blance, the harmony  
Shivers on the edge of the steel  
Tranquillising melody."

--"Sword's Song" by Battlelore

* * *

Chapter Eleven

BPOV

"Wakey, wakey." A voice called to me, arousing me from my peaceful slumber.

"Uhhggg. Whhuuut?" I slurred, my head was throbbing.

Was I hung over? Impossible. I hadn't had anything to drink in a few months.

"Good morning, Sunshine." Felix chuckled. "You were out cold for about eighteen hours. I have never seen a human sleep so long…unless they were dead. But that is a different story." He added as an after-thought.

"I bet I look dead." I mumbled into the pillow. I could feel my hair sticking up in every-which direction.

"Nope." Felix reassured me. "You just look like Dorothy if she had gotten stuck in the twister." He laughed at himself.

"Ha ha ha. Your obsession the Wizard of Oz is disturbing."

"You know you love me." He made a kissy sound in my ear. I blindly smacked him with a pillow.

When I earned a chuckle from him, I opened my eyes for the first time that morning. Thankfully, I was not bombarded with any bright lights, so my eyes were easily able to adjust.

"There is a restaurant right down stairs." Felix said. "So, how about you go take a shower and change clothes then we will go grab a bite to eat."

I rolled over to look Felix in the eye.

"I hope you aren't literally 'grabbing a bite to eat' because I do not think that will go over well." I joked.

"Have no fear, Sunshine. I will not kill anyone here. It would be too risky." He replied before getting off of my bed and walking out of the room, into what I assumed was the common room for our hotel suite.

I rolled out of bed and staggered into the bathroom. I didn't even bother looking into the mirror, knowing that I would not like what I saw. I stripped down and hopped into the shower, making sure to wash my body carefully—my skin was still sensitive from the burn it had received.

Once I was sufficiently cleansed, I shut off the shower and got out, drying off my body.

Wiping down the mirror, I caught a glance of myself in the mirror.

Oh. My. Goodness.

No wonder Felix had been calling me "Sunshine." My skin was positively glowing from the sun I had absorbed. It actually looked like I had received a small tan. It wasn't a dark tan but it was definitely noticeable. I even had a light sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of my nose. They weren't very noticeable either but they were cute.

Huh.

I wonder when my skin decided to accept sun. Maybe my albino side decided to take a vacation. I didn't care though. I liked it!

I dried my hair and moisturized my body so that I didn't peel from my burns. My suitcase was sitting on my bed when I walked out of the bathroom.

I rummaged through it until I found a pair of white skinny jeans, a brown camisole and a pair of brown, leather gladiator sandals. The white in the jeans made my slight tan even more prominent. I would need more white clothes.

I walked out into the common room and saw Felix lounging on the couch watching a rugby game.

"Are you coming down with me or would you rather avoid the human food?" I asked as I picked up a room key card.

"I will come with you. With as beautiful as you look, I don't trust the natives to keep their hands off of you." He smiled and I blushed.

"That is okay. I don't speak their language so none of their pick up lines would work." I reassure him.

"True. Very true." He stood up and unnecessarily stretched his arms into the air. "Let's jet, Sunshine."

We walked down to the restaurant and sat at the bar.

"You should get a drink. You deserve to relax." Felix said as he waved the bar tender over.

"I don't like to drink a lot." I told him.

"Nonsense. We aren't trying to get you drunk. We just want you to relax a little. I know that the other night must have taken a lot out of you. You are only human. This guard stuff must be quite tiresome." He smiled as he ordered me a pina colada.

"Alright. But if I get hammered, you are going to hold my hair back as I puke and fetch me Aspirin." I told him seriously, picking up my drink and taking a sip. It was pretty good.

"I would expect nothing less." He told me.

We slipped into an easy conversation as I ate.

About an hour, two cosmos and a slightly buzzed Bella later, we returned to the room to check the news and make sure that they hadn't discovered anything. If we were still in the clear tomorrow morning, we would be catching the first flight back to Volterra.

"I think we should be fine. It has been almost two days since it happened and they haven't found anything, so I am going to go ahead and buy the tickets." I let Felix know.

"Okee dokee, Sunshine." He replied. "I am going to go for a run and a small hunt since it is dark out. Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Of course. Go have fun." I said.

After Felix left, I went back into the bedroom and slipped into my pyjamas. I was asleep within a minute of my head hitting the pillow.

I silently prayed from sweet dreams.

EPOV

"Bella is coming back today!" Alice announced, dancing into the room.

I had just been talk to Carlisle and Esme about what I was planning on doing in order to win Bella back. They agreed that they thought it was the best way to go. We were all agreed that until I could talk to Bella, we would be giving her space so that it didn't appear that we were forcing ourselves upon her. We didn't want to drive her away before we had a chance to get her back.

"Really? I thought she was going to be gone for four days. It has only been three." I said. Not that I was complaining. The sooner Bella came back, the better.

"Well, no one found the fire they had set and no one had found anything suspicious, so they were able to come back early. She will be calling Aro to inform him of their success after she takes a nap. She is ordering tickets right now." Alice told us as she skipped ahead into the future.

"When will she be arriving?" Esme asked.

"Ummm…" Alice paused, as she looked into Bella's future. I could see flashes of a plane and then a flight board that said 7:35.

"The plane lands at 7:35 and it will take her a while to get here so it will be just after ten when she gets here."

"Thank you, Alice." Carlisle said as he stood up. "Esme and I are going to go out for a quick hunt. We should be back in about two hours."

They both said their good-bye's before leaving the room.

"Edward." Alice called to me.

"Yes?"

"You need to speak to Rosalie and Emmett. You know Emmett will automatically attack Bella for a rematch as soon as he sees her. And Rosalie… well I not entirely sure what is up between her and Bella, but you might want to talk to her about keeping her distance." Alice was clearly upset that Rose had been able to talk to Bella and Alice hadn't.

"It will work out. I really think it will." I reassured her.

"I haven't been able to get a clear vision of the outcome. Too many things have yet to be decided. I will let you know if anything changes." She said as I left the room, making my way towards Rose and Emmett's room. From their thoughts, Emmett was playing on the Wii and Rose was reading a car magazine.

I knocked before walking into the room.

"Eddie. What is crackin?" Emmett paused the Wii and turned towards me.

"Please, Emmett. Just please." Rose rolled her eyes. "What do you want Edward?"

"I need to speak to you both." I began.

"Am I in trouble?" Emmett's thoughts were suddenly going through every bad thing he had done in the last month. He had quite a long laundry list.

"No… I just want to warn you of something." Emmett visibly relaxed.

"And that is…?" Rosalie prodded.

"I would like both of you to stay away from Bella." I told them.

"No way!" Emmett yelled. "I don't know what the hell happened between the two of you, but I love Squirt and I don't want to ruin my friendship with her."

"I am with Emmett on this one." Rose said. "I just got onto friendly ground with her and I have decided that she isn't that bad of a person. I don't want to loose what I had to work pretty damn hard for: and that is Bella's approval."

"It is only for a few days. I want things to be perfect." I pleaded with them.

"Things to be perfect? What?" Rosalie was confused. "Us staying away from her will magically make this mess perfect? I do NOT think so."

"Seriously, Edward." Emmett added. "Do you think by distancing ourselves that Bella will realize she still loves you and stuff like that? I don't think so. She had five years to do that. A few days won't do anything."

"No, it isn't that… I am planning something." I looked at the paused screen of the TV.

"Elaborate. Now." Rosalie commanded.

"Well, I am just planning something that will, hopefully, get her to listen to me. I just need for her to know the reason behind all of my actions and that I still care for her, deeply. If she still rejects me after that, then that will be her choice, but if she accepts my apology, then…" My voice trailed off as I realized the distinct possibility that Bella might reject me.

"Well that is just dandy for you, Ed, but why does your 'plan' require us staying away?" Emmett voiced his exact thoughts.

I sighed. "I don't want her to feel as though we are thrusting ourselves upon her. According to Jasper, she is in an extremely fragile state right now. Her emotions are haywire."

"Fine, but I am giving you four days to sort this out. No more." Rosalie commented as she turned her attention back to the magazine.

I looked over the Emmett who was staring at the ceiling in a rare moment of deep thought.

"Alright. Four days. Please don't screw this up. There is more than your feelings on the line here, we all love her." Emmett said before un-pausing his game and continuing his play.

I was ecstatic that they had agreed to this. It would only make pulling off my plan that much easier.

I left their room and walked aimlessly about the castle.

"Edward Cullen." A voice called from behind me.

I turned to see Demitri rounding the corner and walking right up to me. His thoughts were ones of concern for Bella, but other than that I couldn't tell what he wanted.

"Yes?" I asked when he stopped in front of me.

"May I have a word with you?"

"Sure, I guess that is fine." I replied as I followed him past the main desk and into an office half way down a hallway.

Once we were inside the office, he shut the door and walked around to the chair behind the desk, motioning for me to take a seat on one of the leather arm chairs across the desk from him.

"So, Cullen…" He began. "I suppose I should alert you to the fact that we know just about everything that transpired between you and Bella and your family for that matter. I am going to keep an eye on you. And I can guarantee that I will not be the only one doing so."

I nodded my head, expecting as much from them. The Voltouri—no matter how repulsive the concept was—were still Bella's friends. I internally cringed at Bella's never-ending draw of danger. Whatever would we do with her?

"I understand perfectly. I would not dream of pissing you off or hurting Bella. My family is on our best behavior. If the situation becomes uncomfortable, we will graciously leave." I assured Demitri. My statement visibly relaxed Demitri.

He opened his mouth to reply but the desk phone rang.

Demitri hit the speaker button and answered. "Demitri here."

"Hey, Demitri." My angel's voice rang out over the speaker. "I was just calling to check in before we board the plane."

"Thank you, Bella. I trust that it was a success." Demitri was eyeing my stiff posture as he spoke.

"It was fine. There was only one minor complication, but it was nothing I couldn't handle." She said. My body tensed up even more at the mention of the complication. Was she okay? She had said that she had handled it but was she telling the truth. I couldn't tell if she was lying over the phone. I needed to see her expression.

"Complication? How bad was it?" Demitri's thoughts were once again concerned.

"Well… it was no big deal. We managed. I will tell you about it at the meeting tonight when we get in. I am sure Aro will want to know everything…of course." She laughed slightly and it was the single most eloquent sound I had ever heard. I wanted—No—I needed to hear it again.

"Well, when should we expect you and Felix to return?" Demitri asked, jotting down a few notes.

"Sunshine!" Someone yelled from the other end of the phone.

"Not now, Felix." Bella hissed. Sunshine? What were we in? Sound of music?

Demitri chuckled. "Sunshine? What the hell, Felix?"

"Sorry, Bella got…umm…sunnier?" It sounded like a question.

"You are a dumbass." Bella muttered before speaking into the phone again. "I will talk to you later. We should get in right around ten."

"Thank you, Bella. Have a safe flight. Knowing you, your luck would wreck the entire plane with one trip." Demitri joked.

"Haha. Yeah, I will let you know if I wreck it. Bye." And with that, Bella hung up the phone.

"Alright, Cullen. I expect you to treat Bella with the upmost respect over the next three weeks or else you will have to answer me and just about every other member of the guard." He warned me, raising his eyebrow.

"I will not harm her." I told him again.

"That is all. We have a meeting tonight at eleven in the turret room. You and your family are welcome to come and listen. All that will happen is a slight briefing on what happened on the assignment and then Aro will say a few words. Nothing big, but if you wish, you may attend." He nodded, dismissing me.

I swiftly walked out of office and back to my room. I had to get ready for the meeting tonight.

BOPV

There is something about the way the street looks when it's just rained. There's a glow off the pavement. It was oddly comforting as Felix and I dragged our luggage out to his car. Rose had taken my Ferrari back to Volterra so I had to ride with Felix.

Not that I minded. It gave me a chance to think instead of concentrating on driving.

While Felix was loading the car, I looked around at the parking lot, noticing a bright yellow Porsche about two rows down. Maybe I was just imagining it, but I could swear that there was a small pixie in the driver's seat.

Maybe I am certifiably bonkers.

"Hey, Sunny, let's go." Felix called from the front of the car. He had decided that the nickname of 'Sunshine' that he had given me was too long so he shortened it to 'Sunny.' How lucky was I?

We piled into the small car and sped off back to home.

We had been driving in a comfortable silence for about forty five minutes, listening to our iPods when Felix slammed on the brakes, swearing.

A pack of dogs ran across the highway…

…wait? A pack of dogs? What the hell?

"Who let the dogs out?" Felix muttered as he pulled over to the side of the road. It was unnatural, but Felix and I always had a soft spot for dogs even though vampires were supposed to hate dogs.

When we had exited the car, a small little dog scampered over to us and let out a pathetic little bark. It was a small black pug and it was utterly adorable.

"Aww!" Felix sighed as he reached down and picked the puppy up, checking for a collar.

"He doesn't have a collar." He pointed out. "You know what that means?"

"Umm… we don't know his name?" I tried. Felix just shook his head.

"It means that we can keep him since no one can prove that he is theirs!" Felix was smiling as he petted the puppy's head. It squeaked out another pathetic bark as it looked around.

"Would we be allowed to keep it?" I asked Felix, doubting that the Voltouri would allow a dog to be kept in the castle.

"We can always hide it until we get permission." He suggested. It actually didn't sound like too bad of an idea.

"Alright! Well, what are we going to name him?" I asked.

Felix got a pensive look on his face before lifting the dog in the air and examining its lower…sections.

He must have noticed my questioning gaze because he just said, "I need to know the gender. Can't call a boy dog Tinkerbelle or something gay like that." Oh that made sense.

"I propose that we call this puppy Jet since, (a) he is a boy, (b) he is jet black, and (c) I like the song 'Benny and the Jets' a little too much for my own good." He smiled at me, giving me puppy dog eyes. Could I say no to that face?

"Fine. Jet it is." I said.

Felix held the little pug in front of my face. The dog stuck its little tongue out and licked my face, between my eyes. That was just too cute!

"Let's get back to the castle so that we can hide him before we go see Aro. I will hold the little guy while you drive." Felix handed Jet to me. I cuddled the little pup to me as we took back off towards the castle.

We quickly arrived at the castle, but instead of having someone meet us and take our bags, we parked far away from the entrance and ran around the grounds to find a hiding place for Jet. When we rounded the corner to the back of the castle, I saw the perfect location.

"There." I pointed towards the building. "Jet can stay there."

* * *

A/N:

Quote Hunt:

Okay, remember, review and you get a quote for next chapter. Review and find one song (Baha Men/Taylor Swift) quote, you get two quotes from me. Review and find BOTH of the song quotes, you get THREE quotes from me!

Happy hunting!

And, if you are wondering "What the hell is with the dog?" or "Has Chey gone bonkers?" Have no fear, I have not gone insane…yet. Little Jet will play a HUGE part in this story. It should come into play soon. Hang in there!

And sorry for the medium length chapter, I was in a hurry and just wanting to go to bed because I ate too much today! Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans!

Much Love,

Chey


	12. Now You're Gone

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own an overly stuffed belly from the ridiculous amount of food I ate yesterday!

A/N: Ah, Thanksgiving was wonderful. I hope you all had as great of a holiday as I did. But, sadly, we didn't have turkey. We had a hen. Now you may wonder what the difference is and I will tell you that there really isn't any difference at all… I just felt deprived of a decent turkey. I ventured back home to New Hampshire for my Thanksgiving dinner and let's just say that it was quite eventful. I laughed my butt off so much!

Anyways, I really appreciate all of the reviews! They make me happy. And I am glad that most of you see to like little Jet. He will play a huge part in my little story and that should come up at the end of this chapter!

Hang in there!

Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves,(can I copyright that?) with CHAPTER TWELVE.

* * *

"Now you're gone. I realize my love for you was strong.

And I miss you here, now you're gone."

--"Now You're Gone" by Basshunter

(GO CHECK HIM OUT! ADDICTIVE!)

* * *

Chapter Twelve

BPOV

Felix and I walked into the conservatory, finding it completely empty except for the occasional unused instrument. It was slightly eerie in here, but I sucked it up and walked towards the stage. Felix and Jet were following behind me.

I heard Felix set Jet on the floor as he helped me pull back the curtain and find the light switch. As soon as the lights were on, I felt myself relax. The lights took away from the eerie shadows the dark had cast across the walls. (A/N: Is anyone else getting an urge to see the Phantom of the Opera pop up here?)

Felix looked around the room, assessing his surrounding, trying to find a suitable area for little Jet to stay in, until we could get him a proper area to sleep in.

"You know, we could put gates on either side of the orchestra pit and not only would he be hidden from view but he would also be in one place instead of running around this huge building by himself. We could always take him out when we come to play with Jet." Felix said as he looked around for something that he could fashion into two gates for each set of stairs leading into the pit.

"How about those things?" I suggested, pointing to two iron gates sitting off to the side of the stage.

"Hmm… I think these actually go to those stairs." Felix commented as he grabbed the iron gates and carried them over to the entrance of the pit.

Sure enough, there were some hinges on the side of the entrance that hooked into the gate to hold it into place.

I grabbed the other gate and carried it over to the other side and hooked it up.

Now where had Jet gone?

I saw him off to the side, his cute little butt stuck into the air, wagging furiously.

"No, no! Don't eat the Tuba." I yelled, running over to him, saving the innocent Tuba from harm. I scooped Jet up into my arms and carried him towards the pit. Felix opened one of the gates and followed me inside.

"Here, hold him for a minute while I go find a blanket or something for him to lie on." I handed Jet to Felix and let myself back out of the pit.

I snooped around the back rooms, quickly finding what I assumed to be a make-shift powder room. There were a few towels sitting off to the side of one of the tables. So, I quickly grabbed them and made my way back to the pit.

I was so happy that we had found Jet. The little puppy was just too cute to pass up. I smiled. Jet… it was actually a really good name for him. He was really fast and seemingly always hyper, so Jet fit him perfectly.

I was in the middle of wondering if we should get him neutered when I heard a light thunk on the floor and Felix swearing. I picked up my pace and made it back out front quickly.

"What happened?" I asked as I hopped over the gate.

Felix was standing in front of me with a large wet spot down his front and Jet was hiding under the piano about six feet away from Felix.

"Bella, why do you have to pee?" Felix whined, examining his wet shirt. "I mean, is it really necessary for you to do it?"

I lost it.

"He… peed on… you? Holy crap!... I love… that dog!" I gasped out, holding my sides from the laughter-cramp I had received.

Felix just glared at me.

"You think this is funny? Wait till he pees on you!" Felix stormed off to the back stage in search for a clean shirt.

After my laughter had subsided, I laid out the towels for Jet to sleep on.

A cute little bark from Jet alerted me that Felix had returned.

"Did you de-pee-ify yourself?" I joked.

"Is that a word?"

"Not at all." He just laughed at me.

"Well, we should probably get our bags and head in. We don't want them growing suspicious. After the meeting we can sneak back out and get him some food. What do you feed dogs anyways?" Felix asked as we said our good byes to Jet and headed back to retrieve our bags from the car.

"Dog food I would guess." I thought for a minute.

"I can run out to the grocery store and claim that I need tampons. No one will question me then." I told him. "It should only take me a few minutes to run out and grab it."

"That sounds good. I can run out to the pet store tomorrow and get other things… like a decent bed since we have the next week off of duty." Felix pulled both our suitcases effortlessly out of the trunk.

"Do you want to come with me tonight?" I asked, wondering if he would want to be included in everything involving Jet.

"Nah. I need to hunt again, so I will be out tonight. You can handle getting bowls and dog food right?"

"Of course." I smacked his arm as we walked into the castle.

We immediately had to stop any conversation about Jet since no one was supposed to know about him. Instead, we chatted about the flight and my newly acquired tan.

"So that was what Felix meant by 'Bella got sunnier!'" Demitri called to us as he crossed the large entry room. He pulled me up into a hug and then nodded at Felix.

"I trust that you were able to handle the flight easily." He looked straight at Felix.

"No dead or missing humans today!" Felix beamed at him before dragging his luggage off.

"Need help with your bags?" Demitri asked.

I thought for a second, realizing that I was still ridiculously worn out form the over load of power I had used the other day. Just thinking about it made me tired. I nodded at Demitri, watching as he picked up my bags and walked off towards my room. I followed after him.

"I suppose that I should remind you to please be in the turret room at ten forty five in order to prepare for the meeting." He said as he set my luggage down on my bed. "You have about half an hour to get ready. It that enough time?"

"Yeah I am sure that I can take a shower in about ten minutes if necessary." I told him.

"Alright. I will see you in a while." He turned to leave the room. But when he got to the door, he turned back to me. "By the way, I like the tan. The little freckles across your nose are cute too."

I scrunched up my nose and pushed him out the door.

I unpacked my suitcase, throwing the dirty clothes into my hamper.

Now that I was back, I was going to have to face the Cullens. Hopefully they had gotten the message a few days ago and were going to leave me alone.

I didn't need to juggle everything at once. I had never been a good juggler. I always dropped every ball except one. This situation was no different.

What are the balls that I am juggling?

One ball was—obviously—the Cullens and all of the problems and memories that came with them. But they were only going to be around for another three weeks. That was all I had to get through. Three weeks.

The second ball was the Voltouri and all of the duties that I had to put up with. I really didn't want to keep pretending that I liked it here. In all honesty, I would drop them in second. I know that they liked me and all (well except for Jane and Alec, but they aren't here right now…) but I wanted to do something with my life. I wanted to run out of here and escape to… anywhere! I wanted to go to college and teach or write. Hell, maybe I would become a famous author! Not likely, but I liked to toy with the idea.

The third ball was that if the other two balls miraculously stayed in the air and I didn't drop them, where would I go? I didn't have any money because everything I bought was off of Voltouri funds. I didn't know what college would accept me. I was stuck.

As I realized that my only option was to stay here, I messed up my routine juggling, and all the balls fell to the floor.

Well shit.

I guess I would have to stick with the façade. However, any opportunity I got to escape would not be wasted.

I jumped into the shower and scrubbed down, washing my hair with a new shampoo I had found that smelled like the pina colada I had last night. That actually sounded good right now…

When I was out, I dried my hair and put on some lotion that smelled like coconuts and had some glitter in it allowing my skin to sparkle a little.

Who said that only vampires can sparkle?

Putting on a white, flowing blouse and a denim skirt, I slipped my black and midnight blue guard robes and a pair of black boots on over my normal clothes and walked out of my room, making my way towards the turret room.

Great. I got to sit there for an hour while people listened to Felix and I talk about killing vampires.

Fabulous.

EPOV

I had a black polo and a pair of denim jeans on. I wasn't sure if this type of meeting was formal or not, but from the thoughts of everyone else in the castle, they were going to be wearing their robes.

I knock on my door let me know that my family was waiting outside of it.

Alice ended up letting herself in… like always.

"Edward! We are coming with you! I want to know about the trip! For some reason I couldn't get many clear visions of what happened so, I need details!" Alice sat herself down onto the unused bed, everyone else followed her.

"Where are we going?" Emmett asked.

"There is a meeting tonight where they go over the details of the previous guard mission and what information was learned and what needs to be changed in order to make the Voltouri more efficient. It is actually a brilliant strategic plan." Carlisle explained.

"Like a pow-wow?" Emmett asked, getting a little excited.

"Sure, sweetie. If you want it to be." Rose smiled at him, her mind laughing at Emmett's child-like behavior.

"When did the Voltouri decide that it was cool to have pow-wows? Maybe they got high from drinking a human who was under the influence." Emmett's thoughts went over the possibility of that happening.

"We cannot get drunk or high Emmett." Jasper pointed out, his mind was laughing at his brother's stupidity.

"I think we all should attend." Esme said.

"Well I am already going, and it starts in about fifteen minutes, so if you would like to come then I am fine with it." I told them. "I suggest wearing black though because everyone will be wearing those ridiculously long robes that the Voltouri issue to their members."

They all quickly left my room in order to find black clothing. It was slightly cliché of our kind to have to wear black robes but I guess that it was some type of joke that Aro considered absolutely hilarious. It seemed like it was right up his alley.

Another knock came from my door. Why was I so popular today?

I opened the door to find a young vampire standing at the door brandishing a set of black robes.

"Good evening Mr. Cullen." The child said. "I was sent to ask if you were planning on attending our meeting tonight."

"We are. My entire family is." I answered.

"Of course. We ask that you please wear these robes so that you fit in more with everyone else." The kid handed the robes to me before excusing himself to go get ready.

I walked over to my family's rooms and knocked on their doors until they all come into the hallway.

"We have been given some robes to wear so that we blend in with everyone." I told them.

Alice squealed, speeding over to my side and grabbing the robes from me. She held up each one, checking the length and size, before throwing it to the correct person.

I slipped the coarse fabric on over my clothes. The long black robe was a solid color (unlike the ones of the guard members whose robe colors showed their ranking) and it just brushed the floor. I looked to see that the rest of my family's robes were the same as mine and they looked slightly ridiculous.

"Well these are certainly attractive." Rosalie sneered.

"Yeah. I bet we see them on the runway at New York's Fashion Week next year." Alice agreed.

"Children, we can worry about fashion faux pas later. But we should really be on our way to the turret room right now. The meeting starts in… two minutes." Esme said as she glanced at her watch.

We all agreed and left for the turret room. The only noises we made as we walked were the clicking of the unnecessary heels that Alice and Rose were wearing.

The doors to the room were open so we walked in. looking around, there were only four seats in the entire place. Three for Aro, Caius, and Marcus and one sitting in the middle of the room so that everyone could see what was going on. We took our places, standing by the wall, and waited for everything to begin.

The room was filled with idle chatter until a door to the side swung open, and three cloaked figures appeared. They slowly and swiftly made their ways towards the three ornate throne chairs at the front of the room. The ascended the stairs to the platform the chairs were on and each figure positioned itself in front of a chair. Simultaneously they turned to face the crowded room of people and raised their hands to their hoods. Lowering the hoods, the faces of Aro, Marcus, and Caius were revealed. They stood there for about five seconds, looking around, before the sat in their chairs.

In reality, to any normal vampire or human, this little intro was quite intimidating. But since I knew it was just an act to show off power, it didn't faze me.

Looking quickly around the room, I noticed that both Felix and Bella were not in attendance. They much come in soon.

I couldn't wait to see Bella again. It had been too long since I had smelled her intoxicating scent. I craved that familiar burn in the back of my throat and the feeling of love that seemingly came with it. It was twisted by I loved the way Bella made me feel.

As soon as that thought passed through my mind, the main doors opened and Felix walked in by himself. Where was Bella?

Felix seemed to be wondering the same thing.

_Crap. Sunshine was supposed to be right behind me. Where the hell is she? _Felix wondered.

A pair of footsteps caused everyone to look back towards the door. Bella came bursting through it, running towards Felix. She was about three feet away from him when she—as usual—tripped over absolutely nothing and started to fall.

My body tensed up, ready to run and catch her, but before I could react, Felix reached out and caught the falling angel.

"Sorry!" Bella squeaked, blushing.

Everyone chuckled at her.

She cleared her throat once before continuing, her voice stronger than before. "I had to go to the bathroom. Silly human moment. I can't stop the course of nature." She smiled at Aro.

"Not a problem. I understand the functioning of the human body… for the most part." He said.

Bella just nodded as she smoothed out her the rather short skirt of her robes. I did a quick swipe of the room, noticing that everyone else's robes were long and almost touched the floor, yet Bella's robe barely came to finger-tip length. What was with that?

I leaned over to whisper in Alice's ear.

"Why is Bella's robe so short?" I hissed.

Alice thought for a moment before answering. "She probably tripped over the long ones too much."

We both chuckled, realizing the likeliness of that happening. The girl tripped too much for her own good.

But I wasn't complaining about the length of the robes. It showed off a lot of Bella's gorgeous legs which were… tan?

I did a once over on Bella's body and realized that she had gotten a tan while she was in Australia. She even had a light dusting of adorable freckles across her nose. She looked stunningly beautiful. I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around her slender figure and kiss her little nose and then kiss those full, pouty, lips.

_Soon, hopefully, _I thought to myself. I still needed to go down and check on a few things tonight.

Aro cleared his throat, commanding everyone's attention. "Good evening and welcome, we are here to discuss Bella and Felix's assignment in Australia."

And thus it begins…

BPOV

Of course I had to trip. It was just in my nature to trip at the most inopportune times… like now.

Thankfully Felix caught me or else the entire room would have gotten a show of my underwear. That would be a treat. I apologized quickly, explaining that I had been on the toilet.

I glanced around the room, my breath hitching when I saw that the Cullens were in attendance. Ugh. Keep it cool, Bella. Deep breaths and don't look over there. Most importantly, do not make eye contact!

Aro spoke up in order to get everyone's attention. "Good evening and welcome, we are here to discuss Bella and Felix's assignment in Australia."

Fantastic. I really didn't want to be here.

"Which of you two, Bella and Felix, will be sharing the details and who will discuss problems and information for future use?" Caius spoke, standing up.

"I will be sharing the events of the trip." I told them. "Felix will address the strategic aspects."

"Very well Miss Swan. Proceed." Caius sat back down in his seat.

I cleared my throat before speaking.

"We arrived in Australia and made it to Ayers Rock—where the newborns were hiding out at—without any troubles. No one spotted us or suspected us as a possible threat. Felix figured that the newborns were in a cave halfway up the side of the large rock formation. His guess was accurate. There were nine of them in total. Two guarding the entrance and seven in the main chamber of the cave system they had camped out in. I was surprised at the amount of them living together. Normally we only have two, at most. But this was a lot.

"We hid out in a cave on the opposite side of Ayers Rock to wait until the sun set. Once the sky was dark, we made our way across to the cave system opposite of ours. Felix positioned me outside of the cave before darting in and grabbing the two guards effortlessly. I drained both of them of all of their energy and quickly took care of the bodies." I shuddered at I remembered having to kill the poor newborn.

"Anyways, we ran inside the cave and I threw up my shield, pinning them to the walls so that Felix could quickly dismantle their bodies and throw them into the fire." I decided not to include any details about me loosing energy and all that jazz. So I skipped ahead.

"We finished up and escaped quickly, only sticking around to ensure that we did not leave a trail behind. Once we were sure that no one suspected anything, we returned to here." I finished and sat down in the chair, tired from jet-lag and multiple other things.

"Thank you Bella, I am proud of you guys for holding off seven of them." Aro nodded at me before moving his gaze to Felix. "Is there anything of consequence that we should know, Felix?"

"Yes, there is one thing we can improve upon." Felix answered.

"And that would be?" Caius, leaned forward, intrigued. There was rarely a problem.

I silently prayed that Felix wasn't going to bring up what I thought he was going to.

"Bella." I gasped as Felix said my name.

Damn it.

The room was suddenly filled with chatter about what had happened and what I could possibly need improvement on…besides my mortality.

"Silence!" Aro commanded. He stood up and took a step towards Felix and I. "What is the meaning of this Felix? Bella has been trained extensively."

Felix nodded. "I am aware that Bella was trained but this was something that we could not have anticipated. She was only able to hold her shield for about thirteen minutes before it gave out on her. Granted, it was a large room, but nevertheless it didn't hold up for nearly as long as we originally thought it would. She had drained two male newborns of all of their strength, yet the shield quickly faltered." Felix explained.

Great, so they weren't going to allow me to go on duty anymore because of an unreliable shield. I frowned at Felix and he just shrugged apologetically.

"Bella, is this true?" Aro questioned.

I just nodded, looking at the ground.

"What do you propose we do, Aro?" Caius asked.

"I think there is only one option, even though she does not desire it." Aro looked at me sympathetically. "We change her."

I heard a loud growl come from the back corner of the room, but I tuned it out as I jumped up—knocking the chair across the room—and stormed over to the three men at the front of the room, the clicking of my heels and the low, menacing, growl from someone were the only sounds.

"I will leave your company before I allow that to happen. If you wish to keep me around, find another way or else deal with what I have." I hissed at him. He had gone too far, pushing me to the brink.

The room was quietly shocked. No one ever contradicted Aro, but I had done just that. I could handle him if necessary, just one little thought and he would be pinned against the wall along with everyone else.

"Well, well, well, Bella. I do believe that we have a problem here." Aro said. "Did you really think that we would leave you human and let you die?"

I just stared blankly at the power-hungry bastard in front of me. Of course they weren't going to respect my whishes, that wasn't how Aro worked. He wanted everything in the world at his finger tips.

I figure that his power is indicative to what he wants.

He wants to know everything and his power lets him do that… well, except with me. I guess that was one of the main reasons he wants me around forever. Not only for the fact that I was immensely powerful, but he wanted time to decode my cryptic mind.

Aro took a deep breath, his angry expression, softened and faded into one of sorrow.

"How did we get here?"

"Well, I think I know how." I mumbled sarcastically.

"I didn't mean it that way Bella. Of course you have a choice. I just don't know what came over me." Aro apologized.

"No, Aro, I do not have a choice. You have made that painfully clear." I told him. "I… I just don't know why the ten years I could give you aren't good enough."

"Ten years?" Aro looked at me with a confused expression, apparently he had expected more than that.

"Ten years is all you will get out of me. I do not want to be here for the rest of my relatively short life. I want to do something worth while. College sounds nice… maybe get a real job that doesn't revolve around all of you supposedly 'mythical' creatures. I really just don't know." I sighed. "I only know that I will not be here forever, I would go bonkers. I am sorry. I can't do that to myself."

Aro put his cold, stone, hand on my cheek. "Bella, I really wish you would reconsider."

"No can do. I have had my mind made up for a while now. Of course, I will stay for a while longer but I was never planning on staying forever. I will use force if you make it necessary." I told him, holding nothing back.

"Bella…" He started.

"Just let me breath for a little while. I am going for a drive and clear my head." I gave him a small smile before turning and walking out of the room with as much grace as I could muster.

When I exited the room and then took off my robe—thankful that I had worn other clothes under it.

I took my boots off too and walked barefooted out to Gianna's desk. She was in the meeting so I just reached into the key drawer searching for the keys to my McLaren.

Where were they?

I didn't remember giving them to anyone. Maybe someone had borrowed my car for the day and hadn't returned the keys yet.

"Looking for these?" A velvet voice whispered behind me.

I literally jumped a foot into the air and panicked, throwing up my shield.

A thud made me turn around. And what I saw made me laugh.

Edward was pinned against the wall behind me with a bewildered expression on his face, making me laugh even harder.

All of my anger and tension from tonight's events fled my body and Edward collapsed—for once—ungracefully to the floor.

"I didn't mean to startle you Bella." He apologized, standing up and immediately regaining his composure.

"It is fine." I answered. But then I realized that I was supposed to be distancing myself from him. "What did you want?" I added coolly.

A look of confusion and pain swept over his beautiful features at the sudden change in my demeanor.

"I figured that since you said you were going on a drive that you might want the keys to the McLaren back." He replied sweetly, still confused over my actions.

I briefly considered taking the keys from him and then running but I decided to be a little rude.

"Oh, I don't want those. I am going to take the Carving Concept. I would rather have a convertible top right now." I sneered as I swept up the keys to my other Mercedes-Benz and walked right past a stunned Edward, never looking back.

I felt bad for doing that to him, of course.

I wasn't a cold-hearted bitch. I just didn't want to seem weak and for some reason, my mind told my body that it would come across as weak if I were to take the keys from him right then. It was strange but that was what my mind was telling me.

I shivered at the feeling of the cold tile floor on my bare feet. Hopefully my tennis shoes or something were in my car.

"Bella?" Heidi called, appearing from the dark shadows that were surrounding the room. And, bless her, she had a pair of Sperry's for me.

I didn't deserve her kindness right now, but nevertheless, I wasn't going to shoot her down after I had been so rude back in the turret room.

"Thank you." I told her, slipping the shoes on my cold feet.

"Anything. Just be safe please." Heidi smiled with a small, sad, smile.

I just nodded before turning and walking the rest of the way to the garage. When I finally set eyes on the car, I hurried the rest of the way, eager to get behind the wheel of the car. I lowered the top and cranked the car, loving the purring sound it made as the engine growled to life.

I sped out of the garage before I decided to go back and grovel and profusely apologize to Aro for my previous actions.

Where was I going?

I was not running away. No. I just wanted to get some steam out. I really felt like talking to someone right now about why I was doing this as if it would help sort out my jumbled thoughts.

I remembered that I needed to buy Jet some food and get him some bowls. Well, maybe I could clear my head and talk to Jet. He couldn't exactly listen, but I would feel better just talking to him. I knew there was a reason I was supposed to have that adorable pup!

I sped through the streets of Volterra, the stores blurring by at a neck-breaking speed. Even Edward wouldn't have driven this fast.

I spotted a small grocery store off to the side of the road that was miraculously still open at the fine hour of… twelve fifty two at night.

Must be one of the twenty four hour stores.

I parked directly in front of the store since there was no one else there, grabbed my wallet, and walked inside.

A bell over the door alerted the snoozing shop attendant that I had walked in. The poor man jumped at the noise before looking over me appreciatively. I was feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of his gaze (not to mention the blatant ogling) so I ducked into the first aisle I got to.

"Cereal, bread, sweets, produce, pet!" I mumbled the listings of what was on what aisle before I found the one I was looking for.

I made my way over to the 'pet' aisle, carefully avoiding the front counter. When I got to the section of dog food, I was overwhelmed. There were so many bands of dog food! Which one to choose…? I finally just grabbed a Pedigree bag that said 'puppy' on it and the first set of bowls I saw, wanting to get out.

I checked out, and sped back to the castle, glancing down at the clock. I had been gone for an hour. It was almost two in the morning now. Oddly, I wasn't tired. Huh. I pulled into the garage again, trying to make as little noise as possible. I didn't want to deal with anyone right now. I just grabbed the paper sacks with the dog food and bowls in them and snuck around the edge of the castle, making a beeline for the conservatory. Hopefully Jet had gotten everything out of his system earlier when he peed on Felix. I didn't want to have to clean up too much after him. Maybe dogs used litter boxes.

I shouldered open the conservatory's side door and walked down the rows of chairs until I got to the orchestra pit.

I was about to call out for Jet, but a movement—much bigger than a dog—in the middle of the pit, made me freeze.

"Hey, little guy. What are you doing here?" A musical voice rang out.

Jet let out a tiny hiccup like bark and licked Edward's hand. His back was to me so he couldn't see me, but I was still surprised that he hadn't heard my heartbeat or picked up on my scent.

Maybe I should slip out before he notices I am here. I could always come back later. But since I am Bella, when I turned to leave, I tripped on the stairs of the orchestra pit. That was completely and utterly fantastic.

I braced myself for impact, when a pair of cool hands pressed themselves against my shoulder, pushing my body back into an upright position.

"Well, what are you doing here?" He chuckled, dropping his hands from my shoulders.

"I… um… I brought food and water for Jet." I squeaked out.

"I am assuming Jet is the dog."

I nodded once before pushing my way past him (for the second time tonight) and setting the bags down on the floor near Jet's bed. The dog ran right up to me and gave me the cutest puppy dog eyes. I reached down and patted his head, feeling Edward's eyes on me the entire time.

But the fact that he was watching me wasn't that bad, it was the fact that since he was watching me, he saw cute, innocent, Jet, wrap his front paws around my left leg and start humping it.

Dear Lord.

My face was the color of a newly ripened tomato. I pulled Jet off of my leg quickly and looked up.

Edward's eyes were dancing with humor and his lips were pressed together, trying to contain his laughter. But when my eyes met his, he lost it.

He sat down on the piano bench so that he didn't fall over from laughing.

I simply glared at him. It was not that funny!

Well…

…maybe it was.

I felt a smile sneaking its way onto my face.

"It is not funny." I tried to sound forceful, but failed miserably. "I feel violated."

"The dog reminds me of Mike Newton." Edward finally got out.

I had to laugh at that one. I always had thought of Mike as a loyal dog, following me around. He probably would have humped my leg, too, if given the chance.

We laughed for another moment before an awkward silence settled around us. The only noise coming from Jet's panting.

I grabbed the bags and began filling up Jet's bowls so that he wouldn't starve.

"I told you why I was here." I began. "Now why are you here?"

* * *

A/N: This chapter leads up to one of the big parts of this story. Not the end but more like… the beginning.

Jet's big part? He was what made Bella go to the conservatory in the first place. He also serves as sort of an "ice-breaker" for the tension between Edward and Bella by humping Bella and making them laugh.

Quote Hunt:

Okay so this chapter has one Paramore quote in it. I actually put the name of the song about a line or two above it. So I expect you ALL to get this one!

By the way, I don't know why I chose for Jet to be a pug, because in all honesty, I hate them. It just kind of happened that way.

Oh, and I got and idea for a new story, I don't know if I want to finish writing this one before I start it or start it while I do this story too. Please let me know what you think!

Much Love,

Chey


	13. Poker Face

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. However, I do own a terrible headache right now. Ooch. That hurts!

A/N: 20,000 HITS!!! That makes for one EXTREMELY happy Chey!

Also, I am happy with the results of last chapter! I think I got about 36 or 37 reviews! And I have NOT received any flames yet! That makes me beyond happy. But I know that since I said that, someone will go and send me a crappy review now… oh well.

A little shout-out here to:

Maggie: Your review was so awesome! If I ever publish a book and you buy a million copies, I will autograph them for you! Lol. I smiled for a while from that. Much Love!

Also, I have to say, that this is a VERY VERY VERY important chapter. I ask that you do not skim over it or skip it entirely because it is by far my favorite and the best one of the story so far in my opinion.

I am sorry it took a while to get out, but I was obsessively editing and rewriting this chapter until I felt confident about it. I hope you guys like it too!

Enjoy!

Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER THIRTEEN!

* * *

"I wanna hold em like they do in Texas Plays.

Fold em let em hit me raise it baby stay with me, I love it.

Luck and intuition play the cards with Spades to start.

And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart."

--"Poker Face" by Lady Gaga

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

BPOV

I grabbed the bags and began filling up Jet's bowls so that he wouldn't starve.

"I told you why I was here." I began. "Now why are you here?"

"Well…umm…," Edward stuttered, for the first time in all the time I had known him, he was at a loss for words. Huh. It was usually me who was rendered incoherent.

Edward rubbed the back of his neck with one of his large, pale hands, and I had the sudden urge to wrap my arms around that neck and kiss him… but now was not the time for that.

"Edward, it's okay. You don't have to tell me. It was just an innocent question, nothing meant by it." I tried to calm him. He was obviously very stressed and it was putting me on edge, too.

"No, no, Bella, it isn't that I do not want to tell you, it is just…" He ran his hand nervously through his hair again. "…I really want to tell you, believe me, I do! I just don't know if I should. I don't want to say something that will jeopardize what I have been working for and what I need. I am just not sure if I can trust myself to properly convey what has to be said… and even if I can get it out properly, will you throw it back in my face and walk away or will you listen and accept it…?" The words were rushed, coming out at a speed that required me to stop everything just so I could listen closely in order understand the stream of words tumbling from his irresistible lips.

"Edward, Edward, Edward." I repeated until he released his hair from the death grip it was in and looked at me.

When his eyes met mine, I gasped at the emotions swirling there. Guilt, remorse, fear, worry, and pain along with other intense emotions were present in his brilliant topaz eyes, shining bright for me to see.

Even though I was suppose to be mad at him, I couldn't stop the pain I felt. No angel should ever be tortured as the one before me was. It just was not allowable. I wished, more than anything, that I could take the angel's pain and cast it on myself.

"Bella, if I was to ask you to do something for me, would you do it?" Edward asked hesitantly.

I instantly became wary, my poker face going up. No, he can't read my poker face. At least, I hoped that he couldn't read it. My face had always been so revealing of my emotions, but I had improved. Now it was time to see if I could pull it off.

"Depends…" I answered, sitting on top of a fold-out chair near where Jet was eagerly chomping away at his Kibbles-N-Bits.

"It isn't anything much. And it requires nothing at all from you except for about ten minutes of your time and for you to listen to what I have to say, no interruptions, and you must listen to all of it. I do not expect you to say or contribute anything; I just want you to listen." Edward pleaded with me, his bottom lip jutting out in the most adorable way and his eyes, swimming with vibrant emotions, implored me to listen to what he had to say.

Damn he was good.

How could anyone say no to him when he did that? It would be like a grandmother denying her grandchild candies and sweeties.

In fear that my poker face would slip as soon as I opened my mouth, I resorted to nodding.

A look of relief washed over Edward's features, replacing the pain with a look of determination. The guilt and remorse were still there, but they were duller than they had previously been.

"Where to begin?" He mused, fiddling with the sheet draped over the large piano. I briefly wondered if he would play for me.

"Start wherever you feel the need to. You have ten minutes of my time, right?" I joked.

"Ten minutes? I did say that didn't I?" He cracked a smile. "I guess I should hurry up then."

I wanted to tell him that the ten minutes were meaningless, that I would listen if he spoke for ten hours and that I wasn't keeping track of the time, but I couldn't open my mouth and voice my thoughts because he had begun to speak.

"The night of your birthday, things were great between us. I was finally starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, I would be strong enough to resist your blood for the rest of your life, to be strong enough to be around you without hurting you." Edward looked down at his hands. "But, of course, it didn't work out like I had hoped. It never works out like I originally plan! Like tonight, I was coming here to prepare this place so that it would be presentable for me to talk to you in. But now we are here and talking and the place is not presentable and this didn't turn out how I had planned! It is unnerving the amount of times my meticulous plans have fallen through. I wanted this to be perfect, but no such luck." He sighed loudly, running a hand through his tousled hair.

"But on your birthday, just one little slip up, just one drop of blood, and my family and I—with the exception of Carlisle, as usual—instantly lost the little control we had, endangering your life! Bella, if I hadn't held my breath and jumped in front of Jasper, I shudder to even think of the outcome in that scenario! I… I didn't know what to do. I panicked! The only coherent thoughts that entered my brain were focused on your safety. So I continued holding my breath, afraid that if I moved one, solitary muscle that I would loose all control and end your life. I couldn't—no, forget that—I _would not_ live with myself if you had died by my hand. And to think that the deplorable creature that I am would have enjoyed, if only for a moment, the sensation of your blood flowing down my throat…" Edward suddenly coughed, his eyes wide.

"Sorry, that was a little… graphic. I am just getting a little too carried away." He glanced away, clearly embarrassed.

"Don't be sorry." I told him.

"But Bella…"

"No, Edward. It is your nature—who you are—to do those things. The fact that you try to resist is a miracle in itself. These pigs here don't even try. They have hunting parties to go out and round up humans like they are cattle or sheep. It is truly disturbing. Believe me when I tell you that nothing you say will offend me." I comforted him, encouraging Edward to continue.

"I still don't understand your absolute lack of self-preservation and caring when it comes to dangers such as myself." Edward chuckled darkly, shaking his head.

"Well, your ten minutes are wasting away so you might want to say something instead of sitting there." I teased him, tapping my wrist, pretending to look at a non-existent watch.

Wait for it…

…wait for it…

…there it is!

Edward smiled his heart-breaking crooked smile that I had been searching for.

"As I was saying, that incident made me realize just how much danger we were putting you in by hanging around you. If we hadn't left when we did, I am positive that there would have been another slip up and it might not have ended up as… safely as the last one did. I couldn't risk your safety. Even if it killed me to leave you, I needed to do it." He sighed. "I needed to protect you."

My anger at him flared up again, all of the previous teasing feelings fled my body.

Even if it killed _him?_

I stood up and walked over to the piano bench he was sitting on. "Edward Cullen!" I all but screamed at his face. I would probably regret this later. "You were worried that leaving might kill _you_? What about me? Did you ever, for once, pause and think about how your departure would effect me? Because, let me tell you, I came pretty damn close to killing myself multiple times because I couldn't stand not having you around. I couldn't stand the fact that you had said that you didn't love me. And I could NOT _stand_ the fact that I had just been a damnable distraction that you decided to indulge, for a short while, until you got bored of playing _human_." I fumed, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

"Bella, please." He looked slightly scared. Good. It was about time we turned the tables.

"No Edward. Listen to me. Now, I am aware that I might have just been a hiccup in your long existence, but you were the most important thing to happen to me in my short existence. Now you can tell me all those things that you told me in the woods again, be my guest, but please do not pull out your self-sacrificing act on me because I will not buy it." I said, trying my best not to break down even further. This conversation was going to literally kill me.

"Bella, please hear me out. That is all I am asking. Please, just for a few more minutes." He pleaded, his expression was one of extreme pain and sorrow.

I would listen to him. My body gave me no choice.

"Fine." I turned and walked back to my previous seat and sat back down, waiting for him to continue.

"Where was I? Oh, right." Edward cleared his throat. "I could not lose you so I left and I am so sorry for it. I realize now that my leaving did you no good. Your friends busted into large wolves, Victoria turned out to be a tattle-tale and ran off and squealed about your knowledge of vampires existences to the Voltouri which, inevitably, landed you in this hell-hole. And now they have you running missions to kill newborns. This isn't the type of life you deserve. You were meant to have something so much better because you are far more superior in heart, soul, and purity than any one else could ever dream of achieving."

Edward stood up and walked over to me, slowly, before he raised a cool hand to my cheek, wiping away the tears. "Don't cry. Angels should not cry."

"Angels?" I scoffed.

"I should have figured that your view of yourself was still skewed. Will anyone ever be able to show you just how beautiful you truly are?" He sighed, his cool breath fanning over my wet face, sending chills through my body.

"There was a time, and a person, who once made me feel beautiful and wanted. But that time has passed and now I just feel used."

The pain on his face became more apparent as he pulled away for a second, gauging my expression. He studied me for only a second before pulling me into a hug. His stone arms wrapped firmly around my waist and pulled me as close as possible—without crushing me—to his unyielding body.

It was pure bliss.

I had longed for his touch, his hugs, his smiles, and his kisses for the past five years and now, he was touching me, hugging me, I had glimpsed his smile earlier, too, I was just waiting for a kiss to feel complete again. Of course, I would never receive what I longed for. He made it painfully clear, that day five years ago, that he held none of the same feelings for me as I did for him. I needed to get out of here. I couldn't let myself begin to hope and it all turn out for naught. At the same time, I couldn't bring myself to leave his stony embrace. I just didn't have any willpower left.

"You have no idea how sorry I am for the incredibly rash decisions I have made. If I were to do your every bidding, every day, for the rest of my pitiful existence, it would never be enough to atone for the many ways I have wronged, and hurt you. You need to believe me when I tell you that everything that left my mouth that day, was utterly ridiculous and a lie. You are much too trusting for your own good, love." He chuckled as I stiffened.

…_love_…

"No." I whispered, fighting against his arms, trying to free myself from his embrace.

"No!" I said again with a little more force.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked. He pulled away resting his hands on my shoulders.

I shook my head quickly back and forth, making myself dizzy.

"I can't help if you don't let me know what the problem is, Bella." He pleaded.

"I can't trust what you are saying." I glanced up to see Edward's face contort in pain. "You claim that you were lying five years ago when you left me and that you didn't mean all of it. Well, that just proves that you are a liar. But now you want me to readily accept that what you are saying right now is the truth and you just expect me to believe you, no questions asked? It isn't that easy. You can't just waltz back into my life, dazzle me, and expect everything to go back to where we left off. I am sorry Edward but I don't believe you."

We just sat there for a minute in silence, staring into each other's eyes.

"I want to believe you, I truly do. You have to understand that I may have been gullible and accepted your every word before, but I can assure you that will not happen again. Self-sacrificing Bella is gone. Now, I am trying to look out for my own well being. And right now, I am trying to protect myself from being subjected to your little 'let's play human' game before it is too late and I end up like I did last time… crushed, used, and forgotten." I looked away from him.

"Sorry cannot even begin to cover what needs to be apologized for Bella." Edward stated. His velvet voice was rough and tortured.

"You are right. I am not sure if I can forgive you even if you did, somehow, find a way to apologize for it all." I answered. Surely his ten minutes were up.

"Edward, I think we have said too much and gotten no where. I am exhausted and I would like nothing more than to go to sleep right now. So if you will excuse me, I am going to go back to my room right now and take a nice long nap. Good night Edward." I pushed him away from me and walked out of the room as quickly as I could, stumbling a few times.

_Do not look back, do not look back,_ I became my mantra as I chanted it over and over in my head.

But, as usual, I looked back one last time before I exited the building and what I saw broke my heart all over again.

Edward was standing in the at the entrance to the orchestra pit, his god-like face broken and tormented with the pain of a thousand fallen angels. His shoulders were shaking violently from the tearless, broken sobs that wracked his body.

I was going to hell for this. No one made angels cry.

So I did what I always did…

I turned around and ran.

I ran faster than I ever had before in my life.

Miraculously, I was able to make it to my room and shut the door—without tripping—before I broke down sobbing.

Why couldn't he have just let me be? It wasn't that much to ask for. Just some peace and quiet and I would have been able to _pretend_ that I was fine for a while longer.

Instead, Edward had to go and try to talk to me about things that I had never wanted to hear again.

Why did I not listen to the little voice inside me earlier and refused to listen to Edward? It would have been so easy.

They say that curiosity killed the cat, and I am just now realizing how true that is.

The only difference is that I am not dead. I am sitting here reaping the pain of what I brought on myself.

A light knock on my door alerted me to someone's presence.

"Just a moment." I croaked, dragging my tired body off of the cool ground and into the bathroom. I splashed some cool water on my puffy face and red-rimmed eyes. I was the epitome of beauty right now. Not.

I wiped off my face and walked out of the bathroom and opened my door.

"Hello?" I called, sticking my head out into the hallway. Huh. There was no one there. Maybe Felix or Demitri decided to play something like ding-dong-ditch.

Immature vampires.

When I turned around, there was a tall figure leaning against my bed. I screamed.

"Shh… it is fine, Bella. It is just me." A velvety voice soothed me from the shadows.

My fear was quickly replaced with hurt and anger.

"I don't want to talk Edward, incase I didn't get that point across earlier." I hissed at him.

The audacity of the boy to come into my room and expect me to be civil with him!

"You promised that you would hear me out, and I fully intend to finish what I started." He whispered from his position by the bed.

He had me there. I had told him I would listen, and I don't tend to break my promises.

I shut the door behind me, walked silently over to the bed, and turned on a bed side lamp. I could feel Edward's gaze following me the entire time but I refused to meet his eyes.

I sat down on the opposite edge of the bed from where he stood.

"Okay Edward. I will listen but only because I promised." I whispered, still refusing to look at him.

I felt the bed sag on the other side as he sat down. There was a moment of silence before he scooted over until he was an arms length away from me.

"I need you to understand something Bella." He said. "I never meant for you to feel any pain from my departure. I expected you to easily get over it and move on like you were meant to. I mean, you are human so I could not in a million years believe that your feelings for me ran just as deep as mine did for you. I figured that it was just a slight infatuation that would dissipate over time. But I can see that I was wrong in that assumption. Since I cannot read your mind, I have no clue just what goes through your head and the magnitude of your feelings. If I had…" He sighed.

"How could you doubt me?" I questioned, hurt that his trust in me was so low. "I mean, after all I had accepted about you, after everything we went through just to be together, how could you ever, for one moment, doubt my feelings for you?"

"I was an incompetent, thick skulled, bastard and I fully deserve any sort of blame that you want to cast upon me. It was just that I have been reading human's minds for nearly a century and I like to pride myself in the fact that I know the way the human mind works. I never expected for an insignificant human (no offense) to be able to feel the same as a vampire felt. When we are changed, it isn't just our strength and speed that is magnified. Our emotions are increased ten-fold. Do you think that it was easy for me to believe that you could possibly feel the same about me as I felt about you?" He sighed and ran his hand through his hair again.

"Yes, Edward. I expect that." I told him bluntly.

"How? Why do you think I should have been able to believe that when I had hundreds of other hormonal human teenagers walking around, further convincing me that you did not truly love me as deeply as I loved you?" He looked directly at me.

"Easy." I answered. "It is called trust. It is crucial to every relationship that has ever been successful. You have to trust that the other person loves you as much as you love them. You have to trust that they will be there for you like you will be there for them. And you have to be able to trust them with everything. You. Have. To. Trust." I enunciated each word to get my point across. "Until you can learn to trust, there is no way that anyone will be able to work with you, get close to you, or even love you. You make it impossible because you try to hide things and then feed me some shit along the lines of 'it is nothing you need to worry about' or some B.S. like that!" My voice was rising with each word I spoke. I needed to take a deep breath to calm myself.

"I did trust you, I do trust you!" Edward exclaimed. "It is me that I don't trust!"

"Explain that." I demanded.

"I don't trust myself to be able to suppress my instincts enough to be around you…"

"Edward! I have been living with the Voltouri for how long?" I snapped. "And they drink human blood! I have only ever been snapped at once and it was by a guest! If the Voltouri can control their instincts around me then I have no doubt in my mind that you can too. I think that you are just making excuses." I fiddled with the fringe on the comforter of the bed.

"Making excuses? You have to believe me…" He was starting to get louder, frustration seeping into his musical voice.

"And now we are back to the trust issue." I pointed out, cutting him off.

"So we are." He sighed, rubbing his face with vigor.

"Can I go to sleep now Edward or are you still not done?" I was dead tired and I was probably going to fall asleep really soon.

A glance at my clock informed me that it was a quarter till four in the morning. Almost a day without sleep.

"Just a minute more. I need you to understand one last thing." He told me.

"Alright but make it snappy." My tiredness was making me act bitchy.

"I need you to understand that the pain from our separation was not one sided. I felt an immense amount of pain too! But because I was able to delude myself into believing that this was best for you and that I could survive without you, I stayed away. It was the single hardest thing I have ever done. It was even harder that resisting your blood!" Edward said, his emotion thick in his voice.

"I was in an immense amount of pain. I wanted nothing more than to go back to you, to hold you in my arms. My family was falling apart. I was miserable, which made Jasper feel the same, and then it would leak out to everyone else. Our house was not a happy place to be. Carlisle stopped working at a hospital, Esme didn't even try to redecorate the house and Alice didn't shop nearly as much as she had before." Edward let out a pathetic, sad, little laugh at that.

"If Alice not shopping doesn't prove that we were miserable, then I don't know what will." He sighed.

"But when we got here, when I saw you again, my family is smiling again and acting like a family again for the first time in five years. Their thoughts are happier than I have heard in a while. You need to understand that it isn't just me that you have enchanted. My entire family is under your spell! I think Rosalie is even warming up to you!" Edward grasped my hands in his, squeezing them lightly.

The Cullens couldn't possibly need me that much. They were just fine before I came along.

"Bella… we need you. _I _need you!" Edward pleaded. "What do you say?"

"I-I don't know." I stuttered. "This is too much at once. I don't know what to believe. Part of me really wants to believe what you are saying! But another part of me is sending up warning flares and screaming 'Danger!'"

Edward nodded sadly, understanding what I was saying. He looked away, searching my room. I felt his hands rip from my grasp, surprising me.

What was he doing?

Edward put his hands on either side of my face and looked into my eyes for a moment, studying them closely as though he is looking for something.

He must have found what he was looking for because he smiled slightly.

"Remember that discussion on trust?" He asked.

"Yes…"

"Do you trust me, Bella?"

Where was he going with this? I immediately became wary, worried of what he was going to do.

"Of course." I finally answered.

Edward smiled again before pulling away from me and tugging his shirt off. _Oh my…_ I had to be dreaming! Edward sat before me, chiseled chest and all, smiling brilliantly at me.

"I need you to put your hands on my chest." He commended with an air of authority in his voice. I was dazzled beyond comprehension right now. I simply raised my hands to his cool chest and ran my finger tips over his toned abs. He was still as flawless as I remembered.

"What is the point of this?" I squeaked out, my voice unsteady.

"That thing you did with Alice the other day, when you found her Mark and found that it was connected to Jasper's, well, I want you to do that to me." He said with conviction as though he was certain that he would be connected to me.

"But Edward, I am human, I don't have a Mark." I protested trying to get him to back out. In truth, I was the coward. I was scared of what would happen if he was connected to me. What would I do then?

"Well, I am a vampire so problem solved." He smirked as though the answer was blatantly obvious.

"Edward…"

"Isabella. Find my Mark." He commanded.

I realized that I would lose this argument so I complied with a simple nod of my head.

Tearing my eyes away from his marvelous chest, I looked into his topaz eyes, making sure that there was no doubt there.

I saw nothing but determination and love.

Here goes nothing…

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to connect to the strength that coursed through his veins. It was an awesome thing to behold. The feeling of all of his strength, right beneath my fingers sent tingles up my arms and through my body. I concentrated on the flow of the strength, allowing my hands to follow the intricate path it weaved.

As my hands slowly made their way across Edward's torso, he let out a soft groan from, what I assumed to be pleasure from my touch. That thought made me smirk as I continued following the path.

I could feel the strength increasing as I neared his Mark.

A surge of strength spread through my body as my hand landed directly over his Mark, which, as his family's had been, was over his heart. The strength emanated from his dead heart and surged forward, from his body, in an invisible life line…

…that connected to me.

I gasped, pulling away quickly, breaking the connection I had with him.

"You… you… you were _connected_ to me. That doesn't… I can't understand it." I struggled to get out.

"Tell me what it felt like." He whispered with nothing but love in his voice.

"It was indescribable. I have never felt a Mark as strong or as connected as yours. It was… incredible." I couldn't properly convey what I had just experienced to him.

"Now do you believe me?" He questioned, looking deeply into my eyes. "Do you believe that I cannot live without you? That you are my life in every sense of the word?"

"Yes." And I wasn't lying. His Mark could not lie. Words? Yes. His body? No.

"Thank you." He whispered simply, placing a chaste kiss on my forehead.

The feel of his lips on my skin was so extraordinary. I closed my eyes and sighed in contentment.

"Edward?"

"Yes, Bella?"

"May I do that again?" I asked, easily becoming addicted to the way his Mark made me feel.

"Of course, love. You may do that whenever. It felt amazing." He replied, wrapping his arms around my waist as I placed my hands back onto his chest.

I found his Mark quickly this time. I had already become attuned to it. We sat there for a few moments, basking in the comfortable, familiar silence that surrounded us.

"Bella…" Edward whispered. "You need to sleep." He pulled his arms away from my waist and bent down in front of me so that he could pull off my shoes.

"Don't leave." I told him, lying back onto the bed and curling up under the comforter.

He smiled his crooked smile, looking truly happy. "As you wish." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my body tightly against his chest.

"Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella. I love you." Edward smiled into my hair.

And for the first time in five years, I was happy. Completely and totally happy.

"I love you, too." I whispered, the words ringing true in my heart as they left my lips.

* * *

A/N: Ah! How did you like it??? I hope it was good enough for you!

Quote Hunt time:

The quote is from Lady Gaga. Go find it!!

Remember, you will receive a quote from the next chapter when you review!

Much love (and a happy Bella and Edward)!

Chey


	14. Jealously Is My Middle Name

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own a HUGE Christmas tree. Oh man do I ever love Christmas. (And Hanukah and Kwanza…)

A/N: SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! It was the last week before winter break and I had a bunch of finals and midterms! Forgive me?

AND…Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! And let me say it again. THANK YOU!!! Can I give you all a huge hug and one of those delicious Cullen men? I wish I could…

That last chapter was one intense chapter, if I do say so myself. From the reviews, everyone loved it! Which makes me beyond happy. So, I am doing a nifty little happy dance on my couch right now.

I want to let everyone who is worrying about my story being over know that I have ZERO intentions of ending this story any time soon. I have so many ideas running through my head right now. So, you will be hearing a lot more from me. Plus, ending after only 13 chapters would be just cruel and unusual punishment and that is frowned upon by the USA's constitution. (8th amendment) There is a nugget for your education. Who says Fan Fiction doesn't teach you anything?

AND, (I know this is a ridiculously long Author's Note but hang in there!) I am writing another FanFiction that I posted the fist bit for. It is All Human and another Twilight fic. If you like this story then I swear that you will like the other one just as much!!! Go check it out and tell me what you think!

Now, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER FOURTEEN!

* * *

"The world is a vampire...  
Tell me I'm the only one.  
Tell me there's no other one."  
--"Bullet With Butterfly Wings" by Smashing Pumpkins

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

BPOV

I woke up to the sound of a soft humming in my ear. Ah, my lullaby. I haven't heard it in forever. I dreamt about it all the time but I could never perfectly recall it.

It soothed me.

I didn't open my eyes in fear that this comfort that I felt would suddenly evaporate and I would lose my few moments of bliss.

And it was true; I was comfortable.

Ridiculously comfortable.

I hadn't felt this good, waking up, in years. In fact it has been since the last time Edward had spent with me before he left…

…the previous night's events crashed down on me like a tsunami on a defenseless village. Oh, dear.

I shifted myself to the side slightly only to find that my body had collided with something other than the soft pillows I usually clung to during the night. However, there was something very familiar about the hardness of the thing I was clinging desperately to.

I took a deep breath and immediately took another one, greedily filling my lungs with the delicious scent of…

…Edward!

I gasped and my eyes shot open, only to be met by a pair of bright gold ones. So that was what I was clinging to.

I smiled up at Edward, relishing the feel of his strong arms around me. I had longed for him to hold me like this for so long. I had also longed for many other things from him, but I wasn't going to rush into this newly rediscovered relationship (or whatever we were going to call it) and mess things up. No, this time I was going to go at his pace and not push him to do what he didn't want to do. I could not afford to lose him again. I was positive that I would not survive that again.

Edward let out a low chuckle, one of his hands reaching up to brush some stray hairs away from my face.

"Good morning, love." He smiled brilliantly at me. I hadn't seen him this happy in so long. The look of happiness and love in his wondrous eyes was enough to bring tears to my eyes. Why? Because I knew that I was the reason that he was feeling that way.

So cry I did.

"Good morning, Edward." I got out, beaming up at him.

His expression was one of confusion as he wiped away my tears.

"Do you want me to leave? Is my presence upsetting you? Why are you crying Isabella?" He asked quickly, massaging my cheeks.

"No, no!" I definitely did NOT want him leaving me. Not now. Not ever. Not even for a second. I had found my driving-force again.

"I do not want you to leave. These are just silly tears of happiness. I am just so ridiculously happy that you are actually here." I cried happily.

"Is it okay if I tell you that I am also 'ridiculously happy' that I am here?" Edward asked, his eyes blazing into my own as he tightened his grip around my body, pulling me even closer into his cold, welcoming chest.

"I think that would be perfectly acceptable Mr. Cullen." I joked in my most formal voice.

I was rewarded, generously, with Edward's heart-stopping laugh. It was pure gold.

"Well Miss Swan. I am yours for all of today and however long you wish to keep me for that matter. What ever will you do with me?" He tickled my sides lightly sending me into a fit of giggles.

I felt so damn light. It had been forever since I had laughed so freely and opened up my protective barriers to let another in. Playful Edward was bringing out the best of me as usual.

"Hmmm…" I pondered my options while Edward patiently awaited my answer, carelessly running his hands from shoulder to hip. It was a blissful torture.

"I think I just want to lay here for a while." I finally decided.

I was terrifically content where I currently was and I had no plans of leaving his arms in the near future.

"That sounds fantastic, love. I could lay here for the rest of my existence if you wanted to." He replied, nuzzling his nose into my neck. His cool breath tickled the sensitive skin there and sent me into another fit of giggles.

"What is so funny, Bella?" Edward asked as he buried his face in my hair. He knew perfectly well what he was doing to me.

I decided to mess with me a little.

"Oh, I was just thinking of when Mike Newton did this same thing to me." I made my voice sound light and flippant. It must have worked because Edward immediately stiffened and pulled away.

"Newton did what?" He all but growled.

I had to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing at his jealously. He was just too damn cute for his own good.

"Oh, well, Mike and I had this… _thing_ for a while during senior year…" I was lying out of my teeth but I wanted to play with Edward for a few moments. The opportunity rarely presented itself.

"A _thing_?" Edward hissed menacingly. "And what did this thing entail?"

"Nothing much. Just a little of this and that. He was my rebound, of sorts." I lied again. I was getting a lot better at this stuff. But I was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"I have half a mind to fly back to Forks and castrate Newton on the spot." Edward growled.

I couldn't hold it anymore: I laughed.

"I am just kidding Edward! Did you really believe that I would let Newton touch me? Of all the stupid things that you choose to believe…" I shook my head.

"So he never touched you?" Edward asked, his voice still slightly strained.

"Nope." I replied, popping the "p."

"Good." Edward stated before he smirked.

Before I could comprehend what was happening, Edward's cool, hard lips were on my own. They moved together with mine in the perfect sync that only we could create. His were unyielding but I was just as eager. When I snaked my hands around his neck and twined my fingers into his hair, he growled slightly into my mouth. The rumble in his chest sent chills through my body causing my entire being to call out for him to do it again.

Edward pulled back, only far enough so that he could growl one word at me.

"Mine."

That was all he uttered before he kissed me again with just as much fervor. I literally turned to jelly at that one statement and threw myself even farther into the kiss.

Yes, I was his. There is no questioning it.

This particular kiss was so much better than any other that we had had before. I remembered the careful boundaries that Edward had constructed around our physical life.

We were definitely breaking a few of those boundaries with this kiss.

No, scratch that. We are breaking ALL of the boundaries with this kiss.

Like I cared.

When we pulled apart, my cheeks were flushed and we were both panting loudly.

"That is an excellent way to wake up." I told him after I was confident that my voice would work.

"I will have to remember that for future reference." Edward told me, as he rolled onto his back and pulled me onto his chest.

We laid like that for what must have been an hour, comfortably enjoying the peace that the other's presence brought to us. I would occasionally slide my hands across Edward's chest and connecting to his Mark.

This was bliss.

Feeling the flow of strength coursing through his strong body was quickly becoming my favorite thing to do. I wanted nothing more than to always stay connected to him in this intimate way. Whenever I connected to his Mark, I felt a thrill go through me as though, just like that, the chemicals react. It was a thrilling and wondrous feeling.

But this comfort couldn't last forever. I had stuff I needed to do.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Yes, love?" He mumbled happily.

"We need to get up. I have some things I need to take care of." I told him.

Edward grumbled about it for a few minutes before I convinced him that I, too, did not want to get up but I seriously needed to take care of these things.

When we both rolled out of my bed, I looked down to see that I was still in the rumpled clothes that I was wearing last night.

"I need to change clothes and such. Stay put." I commanded Edward, pointing a threatening finger at him, before I grabbed some jeans and a sweat shirt and walked into the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later I had on fresh clothes, my teeth and hair were brushed, and I felt more energized that ever before.

I stepped out into my room to find Edward lying across my bed, looking through one of my iPods.

"Enjoying yourself?" I asked as I crawled across the bed and snuggled into his side.

"Immensely." Edward answered, giving me a small peck on the forehead.

"I need to go back down to the conservatory this morning." I told Edward as he continued to flip through the songs playing random ones that he either didn't know (which were a very select few) or ones that he enjoyed and hadn't listened to in a while.

It took about ten more minutes and few convincing kisses but I was finally able to motivate him and I to get out of the bed and go to his room

"Come on." I said as I dragged him down the hall towards his room. "I will hook up the sound system and you can listen to music for a while until I finish my work. Okay?"

"Bella!" Edward whined in an adorable little voice. I stopped and turned to face him, prepared to give him a long list of reasons of why he should stay in his room but I didn't get the chance to.

When I turned, Edward had the most adorable little pout on his face that made me want to give him anything he wanted.

His bottom lip was jutting out slightly and his eyes were wide and portraying picture-perfect innocence. It was too much.

"What…?" I mumbled, still in a daze.

"I promise I won't get in the way. Who knows, I might even be helpful! Please, Bella! I cannot let you out of my sight after I just got you back." Edward's pout became more prominent as he tried to convince me that his way was the best.

He did have a point however. I wasn't sure that I could let him out of my sight either.

"Alright." I conceded.

"Thank you." Edward said simply before pulling me into a hug and kissing my hair.

"A few ground rules though. Okay? There will be no distracting or dazzling me. No trying to do everything that I have to do; it is my job so while you can help that is all you will be doing: helping. And one last thing, try not to make it obvious to everyone else here that we made up. Let's just pretend that we are…I don't know… friends?" I listed a few things that I knew might be a problem. "You got that?"

"Yes." Edward nodded. "But would it really be such a bad thing if they found out? I mean, would they fire you and then you could go away with me?"

I laughed at his ignorance.

"No Edward. They would kill you and your family and punish me severely for 'siding with the enemies' or whatever reason they pull out of their sleeves." I rolled my eyes and started walking towards Edward's room again.

"Oh. Well, then, we won't let that happen now will we?" He said; his voice was distant as though he was thinking about something.

"What is on your mind?" I asked curiously as we started walking towards his room again.

"Nothing you need to worry about love." Edward said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tighter against his body as we walked.

Once we got to his room, I went to work on setting up Edward's sound system—he had said that he might find a use for it later—while he took a shower and changed into some fresh clothes. The shirt he was wearing last night was ridiculously rumpled from the death grip I had had it in. even in sleep I was sending the message that I did not want him to go anywhere.

When I heard the water for the shower turn on, I turned my mind away from the images of Edward in the shower that it was conjuring up to more important matters that were knocking on my door at the moment. Like the Voltouri per say.

I audibly sighed as I realized the likely hood of them accepting the fact that Edward and I were back together with open arms.

Very, very unlikely.

I believe that Aro would fess up to being gay and Felix would be the clown for my next birthday before the Voltouri accepted that.

I guess I would have to sneak around and be extremely careful about any display of affection with Edward. Not only in public, but in private too. Damn vampires and their uncanny ability to use their super hearing at the most inopportune times.

There was no telling who all witnessed the Broadway play-like show that Edward and I put on last night with all of the crying, yelling, and haywire emotions. I would have to pay close attention to everyone today so that I could asses the damage that we had caused. Edward was going to have to put his mind reading skills to good use today.

On top of that, I wasn't sure how I should act with the Cullens in public. Should I continue to ignore them or should I act civilly towards them?

Ugh!

I was really starting to look forward to my training session this afternoon so that I could blow off all these pent up emotions and frustrations at any and all things Demitri threw at me today.

I had just finished hooking up the USB cord into the port when I heard the bathroom door open and a warm wave of air that smelled like Edward assaulted my senses.

It was excellent to have him back.

"I missed you, Bella." Edward whispered into my ear as he came up behind me, his wet hair stuck to my cheek as he ran his nose along my jaw.

I knew it was pathetic, but I missed him too.

"You were only gone for a few minutes! I think that was the fastest shower I have ever had the honor of timing!" I glanced over at the clock and found that only three minutes had passed since Edward had kissed me before hopping in the shower.

"I used my super powers." He boasted going so far as to puff his chest out in a show of his manliness. "Are you impressed milady?"

I snorted in a very unlady-like manner as I pulled away from him. "I am very impressed my big, daring, superhero. I missed you too."

Edward smirked as I walked over to the desk in the corner and pulled out a laptop so that I could load the iTunes library.

I hit shuffle and the sounds of the Beatle's _Eleanor Rigby_ came over the speakers.

"What is on your agenda for today?" Edward asked as he tapped his foot along to the beat of the addictive song.

"Well, I am not entirely sure yet. I have to go talk to Gianna and find out. My assignments change from day to day." I told him before I took a deep breath and continued.

"Listen, I need you to do me a favor of sorts. Okay?"

"Sure." Edward agreed happy to do anything for me.

"I need you to… normally I would say 'keep your ears peeled' but since you will be using your uncanny ability to read people's minds, I am not sure what sort of sentiments to use to address that…" I was blabbering about nothing and I knew it. By the amused look on Edward's face, he knew it too.

"So you want me to 'keep my mind peeled' to other people's thoughts today because…?" Edward was holding back a laugh as he spoke. I could tell from the tone of his voice… and the fact that the corner of his lips were twitching upwards.

"For people who may have had a front row seat to our show last night. I don't really need questions right now. So, if you hear anything about that, please tell me so that I can take care of it." I asked him.

"Of course. That makes sense." Edward agreed.

"One more thing." I added before we left the room. "I am not sure how exactly people will be expecting me to act towards you so if I act funny for while, don't take it personally, I just want to ensure that this goes smoothly. And I have a feeling after the out bursts from both Aro and I during the meeting last night that everyone will be watching me carefully probably hoping for another breakdown or what-not."

Edward chuckled.

"That was pretty entertaining." He told me. "I don't think anyone has ever spoken to him like that. I am surprised, actually, that he didn't order someone to kill you on the spot."

"He is too afraid of me to even try that. Plus, I think he doesn't want to risk my power addition to his guard." I smirked as we walked out of the room and locked the door behind us.

We got quite a few strange looks as Edward and I silently made our way towards the garden door that led to the conservatory. I carefully distanced myself from Edward as to not draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves.

We were able to escape into the gardens relatively unnoticed by most passer-byres. Once we had passed over the threshold to the outside, and the door had firmly shut behind us, I reached for Edward's hand at the same time he reached for mine.

I smiled up at him as I realized that he had been thinking the same thing that I had: that we hadn't touched in so many years that we need to make up for it now.

We continued our walk in silence. It was oddly comforting considering I had so many things to say to him, to ask him! But now was not the time. Of course I would get my questions in due time, but right now I just wanted to bask in the companionable silence that fell around us as we trekked through the peaceful garden.

It was strange the things that I noticed when I was with Edward. He—not even kidding—took my world from black and white and made it Technicolor. It was surreal! I was having he Wizard of Oz flashbacks.

For instance, I had never noticed exactly how many colors of flowers adorned the sidewalks around the castle. I had never noticed how each of the little cherub angles in the fountains all seemed to be peeing instead of doing anything that the normal fountains usually did. It was crude but I imagined that Felix had a hand in this. He was, after all, the person who was always asking me to pee my name in the snow—or his name.

The epitome of maturity.

I could feel Edward's eyes on me so I looked back to him. Sure enough, his topaz eyes were bright and looking directly at me.

"What?" I asked self consciously.

"I love the expressions you get on your face when you are concentrating. Like just now your face went from awe-struck, to contemplative, to humorous, to disgusted in a matter of 90 seconds. Care to share the thoughts that are gracing your mind with me?" Edward asked as he lifted our entwined hands above my head so that he could twirl me in a circle.

I giggled as I spun in small, carefree circles around the garden.

"I was just thinking about how different everything seems to be now that you are with me. I thought about how, in your presence, the flowers have more color and notice more details of the world around me. You have no idea how much you truly affect me." I told him, blushing slightly at my intense confession.

Edward abruptly stopped spinning me.

I was worried that I had said something wrong too soon but before I could ask, I found my entire self crushed to Edward's marble chest as he hugged me tightly to him.

"Uhh…?" I sort of sputtered out into his shoulder where my face currently mashed into from the intensity of the embrace that Edward had locked me in.

"Oh, erm, sorry Bella." Edward said as he loosened his grip on me and gave me a quick one over to make sure I was not crushed from his exuberance.

"What was that Edward?" I smirked.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"You know what, mister! Don't give me that." I tried to make my voice stern and it must have worked because Edward's expression to one of a reprimanded child. It was utterly adorable.

"I just got a little happy, Bella. No big deal." Edward tried to convince me.

_No big deal my ass_, I thought as I raised one of my eyebrows in question.

The sheepish expression slipped from his face only to be replaced by a huge grin. It was positively blinding it was so brilliant. My heart did a familiar little flip-flop at the marvelous sight before me.

"I am happy, Bella. Completely and incandescently happy. More so than I have ever been before and it is all because of you! I would like nothing more than to hold on to you and never let you go. That was the reason for that magnitude of an embrace: I was trying to convey my happiness to you through something besides words and I guess I was slightly _too_ exuberant." Edward apologized.

I let out a happy laugh and launched myself back into his waiting arms and hugged him as hard as I could. "I think you got your point across, Edward. I, too, am happy." I smiled as I breathed in his heady scent.

"And your happiness feeds my own for I can never be truly happy unless you are too my love." Edward spoke in a loving tone before he my feet back down on the ground and we continued our walk towards the conservatory, not letting go of each other or allowing for any unnecessary distance between our bodies.

Edward, being the gentleman that he is, opened the door to the conservatory for me and let me in first. I eagerly skipped in wanting to see Jet. He was, after all, one of the main factors in Edward and I getting back together. If he hadn't of been there, I would not have ventured out to the conservatory last night to feed him and I would not have seen Edward there.

Give that dog a Klondike Bar.

I quickly went down to the orchestral pit only to find it empty.

"Jet?" I called, searching for the little puppy. He did have black fur so maybe he was just blending in with the shadows.

"I don't think he is here." Edward said from the other side of the pit.

"Why not?" I asked, confused. We had left him in here last night. He was in the pit with us and he had tried to follow me when I had left…

I looked down to see that the gate next to me was wide open and forgotten.

"Damn it. Felix is going to kill me." I cried as I looked around quickly, double checking that Jet wasn't hiding in plain sight or something easily over looked like that.

"Trust me, I would know if he was here, and he isn't." Edward assured me. I looked back to see him standing a little ways away with an apologetic expression on his face.

"Sorry, Bella, this is probably my fault for not making sure he was safely locked up before I left but I was otherwise occupied by other things that, at the time, consumed all parts of my thoughts." Edward apologized profusely.

"Shh, shh." I put a hand over his mouth, effectively silencing him.

"I don't care. He served his purpose and now he is gone." I told Edward and pulled at his hand. We still had to go to pick up my daily task list and it was already around one in the afternoon.

"What do you mean 'he served his purpose?'" Edward asked me as we made our way back to the castle.

"As simple as that: he served his purpose. There is no underlying meaning there or what-not. Just what it sounds like." I told him as we passed one of the peeing cherub fountains. The facial expression on the little stone cherub seemed to be one of constipation and the water must have been turned off because nothing was coming out. Huh. That is sort of funny.

"And what was his purpose?" I heard Edward ask. Were we still talking about Jet? I had gotten too lost in my new and improved view on the world to fully listen to Edward's questioning.

"Umm… to bring us together." I answered as I opened the door to the castle.

I immediately dropped Edward's hand and all conversation ceased as we made our way—once again at a distance from each other—towards the front desk to see Gianna.

"I hate these arrangements." Edward mumbled just loud enough for me to hear.

I nodded in agreement and we fell silent again.

"Hello Bella!" Gianna called from her desk as Edward and I strolled in to the room.

"Good afternoon." I smiled. "Do you have my agenda for today?"

"Yes ma'am. Here you go." Gianna handed me a sheet of paper that had three tasks on it.

_ONE: Physical training session at one forty five with Demitri in the gym._

_TWO: Run into town for tampons._

Wait what? Why would they tell me to go get tampons?

_*Above task is due to the fact that your menstrual cycle will be appearing shortly. _

That must have been awkward for Aro to write.

_THREE: Come see Aro after above tasks are completed._

The last task didn't bode well with me. I was slightly worried as to what Aro would want to talk to me about. Considering that I was still pissed at him for not respecting my wishes on the issue of my mortality or anything else.

"Thank you Gianna." I said as I reread the tasks chuckling to myself.

Edward came up behind me in order to see what I was laughing at. I tilted the paper towards him so that he could read it.

Within seconds Edward was laughing too.

"They keep you on a tight leash don't they?" He asked.

"You have no idea." I mumbled.

I looked up so that I could ask Gianna for the keys to my Ferrari so that Edward and I could go get…_tampons_ but when I looked up, I found Gianna's eyes roaming in a greedily appreciative manner over Edward's body.

I knew that she couldn't help it—Edward was gorgeous—but he was mine. I was overcome with anger and an intense jealously, causing my world to go green. Before I knew what was happening, my anger exploded, sending Gianna crashing to the wall behind her.

Oh, shit.

This was not an ideal situation but I couldn't help myself.

I stalked around the desk and grabbed my keys out of the key drawer before stomping off; Edward followed behind at a safe distance incase my shield decided to make another appearance.

I stalked my way all the way to my car in the garage and got in, barley waiting for Edward to get in before I sped off. My jealously was dissipating… slowly.

"Bella?" Edward asked, his voice filled with humor. "Was that jealously I saw back there?"

* * *

A/N: Once again, I apologize profusely for not updating before now. But as I have told many of you who have taken time to ask me if I fell off the face of the earth, I was just slammed with an overly hectic week that resulted in me spending all of my free time studying and trying to squeeze in a few hours of sleep here and there. But, never fear! I am now out for break for a few weeks and will be able to dedicate more time to this story!

Anyways…. this chapter was just a little Bella and Edward fluff to curb the major happenings of the last chapter or two but the eventfulness will pick up after another chapter or two of reacquainting.

AND……. It is QUOTE HUNT time! (I know this is secretly your favorite part! Admit it.)

You are looking for a quote from Aly & A.J.

:)

Have fun and good luck!

Much love,

Chey


	15. Satan Stole My Tampons

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. However, I do own a rather disturbing addiction to chocolate covered cherries!

A/N: I hoped you guys liked the fluffiness of the last chapter. This chapter will follow pretty much the same lines as the last one (After 5 years, Bella and Edward need some serious bonding time before the drama unfolds) but we should get back down to business pretty soon.

Now, I am aware that many if you are mourning the disappearance of Jet (the cutest dog on the face of the planet!) so I am offering counseling to any of those who many need some guidance through this tough time…

…just PM me!

I took psychology in high school so I might be able to pull some Freud out of the air or something marginally useful like that.

I am actually pretty surprised as to how many people found the quote last chapter. Personally, I thought that it was pretty tricky. Hmmm… it would seem that I may have to make this more challenging. ;)

Now, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, With CHAPTER FIFTEEN!

* * *

"Don't worry because it will all work out in the end.

Eternity is not very long my friend."

--"Satan Stole My Tampons" by Bob Schneider

Chapter Fifteen

BPOV

I stalked and stomped all the way to my car in the garage and got in, barley waiting for Edward to get in before I sped off.

Sure, my jealously was dissipating… slowly.

"Bella?" Edward asked his voice filled with humor. "Was that jealously I saw back there?"

When I didn't answer, Edward reached over and sort of poked me in the side. I guess he didn't understand the fact that when I got worked up, and I didn't maintain control of myself, that it was very dangerous to be around me because I could slip up and accidentally hurt him with my shield or what-not.

"Bella?" He called again. "Are you going to ignore me?"

"No, I am not going to ignore you." I told him through clenched teeth as I fought to calm my insane jealousy and anger that was coursing through my body.

"Are you mad at me?" Edward sounded slightly worried as he reached around the front of my body to grab my seatbelt and buckle me in. "Because, I can assure you that the scrawny human, whom you so kindly rammed into a wall, held none of my interest."

I took a deep breath as Edward leaned across me to buckle me in and my nose was filled with the scent of him. Miraculously, I was calmed almost instantaneously. Call me crazy but just his _smell_ was comforting. I had it bad.

"Sorry about that." I apologized quickly as we sped towards town. "I lost my head a little. I guess Aro was right to tell me to get tampons. I am definitely starting to PMS." I chuckled slightly as I looked for the exit to Saline so that I could run to the drugstore. While I was out, I might as well get task number two out of the way.

"You never answered my first question though." Edward spoke casually as he surfed the XM radio stations.

"And which one was that?" I asked even though I knew exactly what he meant. I just wanted to prolong the inevitable. I hated admitting to a weakness or saying that something was out of my control.

"Were you jealous Bella?" Edward asked his smooth velvet voice dropped a few octaves so that it sounded low, seductive… arousing.

Damn him.

Dazzling me again.

I should never have admitted that to him all those years ago.

"Yes… maybe… no… damn." I sputtered out. The car swerved slightly on the road and Edward quickly grabbed the steering wheel to ensure that we didn't swerve into oncoming traffic.

"That may not have been the best time for me to do that, was it?" Edward chuckled as I got my wits about myself. Once I was controlled again, Edward relinquished control of the wheel back to me.

"Yeah, you might want to pick your timing better. For example, you might want to try again when we are on solid, unmoving ground without a few hundred cars whizzing past us." I suggested as I exited the highway and slowed down my speed so that I didn't risk hitting a pedestrian. I really didn't need another problem to be laid on my shoulders right now.

"Where exactly are we going?" Edward asked as he took in the scenery of the little shops we passed as I swerved through the cobblestone streets.

"I figured I would get task number two crossed off my list right now. Do you mind?" I held my breath waiting for Edward's reaction. I was not disappointed.

"W-w-wait. We are going to… get… _tam_pons?" Edward stuttered in the least eloquent way possible. His eyes were slightly bulging and to be honest, he looked scared.

So I laughed.

"Are you scared of getting tampons with me Edward?" I joked.

"No… it is more of the fact that I am a male—more importantly, a vampire male—who has never had to deal with tampons, PMSing, or a woman's menstrual cycle before. This is definitely a first." Edward explained as he scanned the world outside of the window as if he was looking for an escape. "Not to mention that they weren't even invented until 1929 which was after I was human."

"Relax, Edward. You can stay in the car or something like that. I honestly don't care. I do not expect you to pick out feminine items with me. Thought I am worried as to why you know when they were invented." I laughed as a look of relief passed over Edward's face but was quickly replaced by one of determination.

"Don't ask." He mumbled before turning towards me. "Bella, I told you that I was not going to ever let you out of my sight again and I full intend on keeping that promise. Therefore, I will be going in with you." Edward said with a smug smile on his face.

"As you wish…" I laughed as I parked in front of a small, local drugstore.

Ten minutes later, Edward and I found ourselves standing in the middle of the Feminine Products aisle. There were tampons, bottles of Midol, lubricants, and various other things that were quite uncomfortable to have around as I stood with Edward.

Maybe I should have left him out in the car.

I chanced a glance at Edward whose previous determined expression has faded into one of confusion and slight horror. If I didn't feel so uncomfortable about the situation then I might have laughed, however, this was not the time and _definitely _not the place.

We must have been standing there, awkwardly, for about three minutes before I just reached out and grabbed what looked to be a variety pack of sizes and walked, as quickly as I could without tripping, to the register and paid.

Edward, being a perfect gentleman, carried my bag out to the car. It was a sweet gesture that I had missed from him… even if he did hold the bag about three feet away from him as though there was a dead rat or a possum inside.

"Bella, I have a question." Edward said, hesitantly.

"Shoot."

"Don't you feel…violated?" Edward asked in an embarrassed tone as he chucked the offending tampon bag into the trunk.

"What?" I was confused about what he was asking. When was I ever violated?

"I mean… you know… when you use a… one of _those_ things." Edward slammed the trunk, obviously flustered and quickly got into the passenger seat.

I blushed a bright red—almost the color of my red Ferrari—as I realized what he was asking.

I slowly got into the front seat and put the keys into the ignition before I answered.

"I have no idea why you asked that, however, the answer is 'no, I do not feel violated' by… using a tampon." I answered carefully in fear that I would embarrass us both even more.

We sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes—Edward fiddled with the radio again, and I pretended to be focused on driving—until a familiar song came on the radio that I loved. I started singing out the lyrics before I could comprehend what I was doing.

I knew Edward was staring at me but I didn't care, for once. I just continued singing until the song had ended and the station went to commercials.

"You have a lovely voice." Edward said as he reached out as stroked my cheek with his fingertips as he had done before.

I blushed again as just shot him a little smile. I wondered if I really was a good singer or if he was just saying that.

As if he could hear my thoughts, Edward said, "I really mean that. Most girls would kill to sing like you."

"Yes!" I exclaimed sarcastically. "Because what my heart has always desired are an excellent singing voice and the box of super plus tampons that we have in the trunk!"

Edward laughed at me before leaning towards me and whispering in my ear.

"What _does_ you heart desire, Isabella?" He all but purred into my ear.

I shivered violently from the sensation and the car swerved again.

Edward had to grab the steering wheel again and he just chuckled, pulling back from my ear.

"Wrong time again?" He asked guiltily.

"Yes it was. We really should work on your timing." I breathed as I took back control of the wheel. Next time Edward was in the car with me, he will find himself in the back seat if he keeps on doing what he is doing to me. I don't think he wants me to die in a car wreck.

We slipped into a comfortable conversation as we made our way back to the castle. I was disappointed to look at the clock and see that I was going to have to part with him as soon as we got back because I had training.

"Bella?" Edward asked suddenly as though something had just occurred to him.

"Hmm?"

"Are you worried about what Aro and everyone will say once they do find out about us?" He asked hesitantly. If I hadn't of known his voice as well as I did, I would not have been able to detect the undercurrent of worry that was present in its velvety smoothness.

"No, not at all." I answered truthfully, not having to think about it. "And I don't give a damn what they say, what they think, because you're the only one who is on my mind. I'll never ever let you leave me. I'll try to stop time forever. I never want to hear you say goodbye again."

"You know I can never apologize enough for doing that to you." He said sadly.

"I know, and I do not expect you to try." I pulled into my parking space and gave Edward an awkward hug considering my seatbelt was restraining my movements.

"But…"

"No." I cut him off. "I forgive you and I understand why you did what you did. Truly, I do. Now just promise me that you will not pull a stunt like that again, and we will be golden."

"Promise." Edward answered, his words dripping with his honesty and repentance.

I leaned into him and pressed my lips to his smooth, cold ones for just a second before getting out.

"Will you be okay without me for an hour and a half?" I asked as we walked towards the doors.

"Where are you going?" He asked in a worried tone.

"I have training, remember?"

"Well, I am coming with you." Edward declared. "Problem solved."

"No, problem not solved." I sighed. "I know you don't want to leave me, and please believe me when I say that I don't wish to part with you for even a second, but letting you guys in on my session the other day was a one time thing. You can't come in again." I wrapped my arms around Edward's neck and hugged him tightly to my body.

"I really wish it was different." He sighed into my hair.

"Me too but that is not the case." I answered, reluctant to let go of him.

I finally relinquished my hold of him and stepped out of his embrace.

"I will see you soon. Go test out the music system that I just hooked up or something." I smiled before turning and walking in the opposite direction of his room towards the gym.

I really hoped that the next hour and a half would pass by quickly.

EPOV

Spending the morning with Bella was better than I could have ever hoped for.

Even though we had gone and bought tampons… I still enjoyed myself. But, then again, something told me that I could be grocery shopping for disgusting human food and if Bella was there, I would enjoy it.

I hated that she had to leave me, even for such a short time, to go to her physical training but I had no power over what she did and didn't do. No, the _Voltouri _had that power over her.

I almost growled at the thought of Bella having to be around them for the past while. She didn't deserve to be tortured in that way.

But what did I know? For all I was aware of, Bella could actually be enjoying herself here, amongst these deplorable creatures. She had certainly made it seem as though she was friends with many of them and from their thoughts, they, too, liked her.

Then again, who could not like Bella?

I walked back to my room, slowly thinking of different methods that we could use to get Bella out of Volterra and home with my family and I where she belonged.

It would probably be near impossible but I knew that my entire family, even Rosalie, would be willing to do whatever it took to bring Bella back to us. They all loved her dearly and Rose seemed to be warming up to her.

I needed to talk to them.

I found myself in my room, pacing back and forth, mulling over the possibilities while the sounds of Death Cab for Cutie and Dashboard Confessional spilled over the sound system that Bella had so graciously hooked up for me this morning.

My scheming was interrupted by a loud bang outside of my door and someone yelling something before a small pale blur tackled me to the ground.

"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" Alice exclaimed bouncing up and down on my chest in excitement. There was a huge grin plastered on her face and she was looking happier than I had seen her look in years.

"Mary Alice!" Jasper reprimanded from the door before walking over and dragging his hyperactive wife off of me.

"Thanks." I nodded towards Jasper as I stood up.

"What has got Alice so would up?" Jasper questioned me as he tested the emotions flowing through the room. He was quite shocked at the amount of happiness radiating from both Alice and I.

_I haven't felt this much happiness from you since you were last with…_ Jasper thought before it dawned on him. _She forgave you didn't she?_

I simply nodded, an inevitable grin breaking out over my features. Alice tackled me again, hugging me hard. "I knew it!" She exclaimed happily for the fourth time since she had entered the room.

"Why wasn't I invited to this party?" Emmett asked in a hurt voice as he walked into the room.

Esme, Rosalie, and Carlisle followed him in. They all paused at the door assessing the scene before them. Their thoughts were confused as they took in my huge grin, Alice still hugging me with a huge grin on her face too and Jasper's content expression

"Why is Alice looking like she was just given permission to buy Milan and all of the malls in it?" Rosalie asked as she looked back and forth between Alice and I.

Before I go the chance to reply, Alice launched herself across the room and stood, bouncing, in front of the rest of our family.

"I saw it, I saw it all!" She exclaimed.

"What did you see, dear?" Esme asked.

"Edward and Bella… they got back together!" She shot out as quickly as she could.

_I am happy for you son,_ Carlisle thought as he smile at me.

_Sweet! Squirt has returned! I missed my little sis,_ Emmett thought.

Esme, as I expected, ran at me and hugged me fiercely just as Alice had done moments before. "I am so happy for you two Edward." She smiled up at me. "I should have known that was the case as soon as we walked in. You are so obviously happy in a way that only Bella can make you be." Esme kissed my cheek once before walking back over to Carlisle and leaning her head onto his shoulder.

"Well, Eddie, I guess it is good to have you back. To be honest with you, I was about ready to go talk to Bella myself just because you were taking so damn long to do it yourself!" Emmett laughed, clapping me on the back roughly.

"That probably would have been disastrous." I told him honestly.

"Of course it wouldn't have been! Call me Cupid because I am the bringer of _love_." He informed me before clapping me once more on the back.

"I am happy for you, Edward." Rosalie spoke softly. "I hope I can make up for my past actions towards you and Bella."

I was so shocked by her kind words that it took me a moment to reply. "I think that would be fantastic Rosalie." I told her, pulling her into a hug.

I rarely showed any physical kindness towards her, but I would make an exception for right now simply because she rarely ever showed kindness. Period.

"I think you should bring Bella over to our room this afternoon so that everyone can see her again." Esme suggested. "That is, if she wants to."

"I am sure she is just as eager to see you as you are to see her." I reassured Esme. I didn't really want to share Bella but I knew Alice and Esme would drag her away anyways, so I relented.

"She should be done with her training in ten minutes." Alice told me before skipping out of the room, the rest of the family following her.

I glanced at the clock to see what time it was so that I could go get Bella. And, for the first time in five years, I was actually looking forward to something.

BPOV

Training hadn't been too hard today. I wasn't sure why, but Demitri seemed to have not added much to my workout plan. Just a few extra weights and exercises here and there. Nothing too drastic.

And for that, I was grateful.

I was looking for to spending the evening with Edward.

I knew that I needed to go see Aro, but I wanted to put that meeting off for as long as possible. So I would hang out with Edward for a few hours this afternoon and maybe, once it was dark, go see Aro about God-knows-what and hope he didn't bite my head off for that outburst.

Was that only last night?

I had been so consumed in all things Edward that I had let myself lose track of time. I reviewed the date in my head and realized that I only had about two maybe two and a half weeks until the Cullens returned home.

The thought of them leaving me again caused old scars to be reopened.

To be honest, I was scared of what their leaving would do to me this time especially sine I would know that Edward would be leaving me while loving me. Wouldn't that be worse?

I sighed as I finished up my last mile on the treadmill. Life sucked.

"Alright Bella," Demitri said as I shut off the machine. "I will be seeing you four days a week now and we will start adding more and more to you workout plan alright?"

"Yeah, I understand." I told him as I drank some of my bottled water.

"Well, I will see you in two days! You have tomorrow off." He smiled at me before exiting the gym.

I was just about to grab my gym bag when a pale hand beat me to it.

"How was your workout, love?" Edward asked as he grabbed my hand and all but dragged me out of the gym.

"Fine I guess. Nothing too hard." I answered.

"That is nice."

"Edward, where are we going?" I was trying to figure out where he was dragging me to.

He stopped in the middle of the stairs and turned towards me. His expression was slightly guilty. "I missed you and I really wanted to spend a few minutes with you before Alice and company pulls you away from me for a few hours. They are quite adamant in the fact that they want to spend time with you."

I smiled and hugged Edward close to me. I was really excited about the fact that the Cullens actually wanted to spend time with me after the way I had treated them over the last week.

"That sounds perfect. But I can only stay for about three hours before I have to go see what Aro wants. For a man who has all eternity, he isn't very patient." I told Edward as we continued our walk back to his room.

We had just rounded the corner, Edward's door was in sight, when the door to the room next to me flew open and I was pulled inside.

The door slammed closed behind me as my captor laughed a menacing little laugh.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so the chapter was kind of short (Sorry!) but I needed to get that out of the way before I do anything else. Plus, if I would have combined this chapter with the next (as I had originally planned) it would be around 30 pages long on Word. And that is a little extreme.

Anyways, the next chapter should have Bella getting reacquainted with the Cullen's and some (if not all) of Aro's discussion with Bella. So, in the words of Tim Allen on Home Improvement:

"Don't touch that remote! Guarding It All will be right back after these messages."

I know that isn't exactly what he says but… whatever.

Now, QUOTE HUNT:

You are looking for a quote from the Veronicas. Ready? Set? GO!

And if 60 people review this chapter, I will update again before Thursday! You have done that many before, so I know that you have it in you!

Much love,

Chey


	16. ChitChat and Aliens

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own a rather intense migraine.

A/N: Alright so I didn't get 60 reviews for last chapter until this morning. But, still, you guys are more awesome than I could have ever hoped for! I would like to welcome our new readers and reviewers to the program. We are delighted to have you join us aboard the U.S.S. GIA.

A REALLY long AN awaits you at the bottom. Read at you own discretion. : )

This chapter is TWENTY ONE PLAGES LONG!!!! Enjoy!

Onto what you really want!

Now, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER SIXTEEN!

* * *

"And I swear if you come back in my life  
I'll be there till the end of time.  
Back to me, back to me, back into my life.  
And I swear I'll keep you right by my side  
'cos baby you're the one I want  
Oh yes you are (back to me, back to me, back into my life)"

--"If You Come Back" by Blue

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

BPOV

We had just rounded the corner, Edward's door was in sight, when the door to the room next to me flew open and I was pulled inside.

The door slammed closed behind me as my captor laughed a menacing little laugh.

It took me a moment to adjust to the sudden change in surroundings. I stumbled a little but managed to catch myself on the wall next to my head.

I chanced a glance around, wondering who the hell had taken me from Edward when I met the eyes of an overly joyous, bouncing pixie.

"Alice!" I screamed excitedly at the same time that Alice screamed, "Bella!"

I laughed as we both launched ourselves at each other.

"I missed you Bella. I thought that I had lost my best friend there for a while. But then I had a vision and you and Edward were getting back together!" She squealed excitedly.

"Alice, can you please open the door?" Edward whined as he stood in the hall way.

"Nope. Bella is mine and… well… everyone else's for the next few hours. I refuse to surrender her to you because you would just kidnap her and I wouldn't be allowed any quality time with my best friend!" Alice replied as she pulled on my arm and drug me over to the couch.

I looked around and noticed that I was in Carlisle and Esme's room. The entire family, besides Edward who was still outside of the door, was sitting around the small living room with identical grins on their faces.

I smiled back at them and gave a small, hesitant, little wave. "Hey, guys." I said. I decided that now was as good of time as any to apologize for giving them the cold shoulder for the past few days. "Sorry about acting the way I did over the last few days. I really cannot explain why I acted like I did I can just tell you that I am sorry."

"It is completely understandable dear. Don't think twice about it." Esme reassured me. "We all forgive you."

"I forgive you." Edward said from behind me.

"How did you get in?" Alice asked, sounding slightly miffed.

"Easy, you didn't lock the door." He said with a smug smile on his face as he pulled me into his chest and hugged me tightly.

"Damn." Alice pouted. "I guess I was too excited about spending time with Bella to check the lock. Not like the lock would have stopped you anyways."

"True," Edward smirked. "I would have broken it down anyways."

"Well, Bella," Rosalie said as she gracefully rose from where she was perched on the edge of the arm chair Emmett was sitting in. "I, for one, am glad that you took my retard of a brother back. I know that we didn't get along too famously before but I hope that we can put that behind us. Would that be okay with you?" Rosalie looked slightly nervous as she asked that.

I was so thrilled at her final acceptance of me, that I launched myself at her and hugged her close to me. "I forgive you for everything Rosalie. I would like to apologize for anything that I might have possibly ever done to you before. I think that it is a great idea that we start over. Of course that is okay with me!"

We pulled away from each other and smiled. "There is nothing to forgive, Bella, you have done nothing wrong." Rose told before giving my hand a squeeze and walking back to where Emmett was waiting for her with open arms.

"I am so proud of you Rosie." Emmett said in her ear.

Rosalie simply smiled and gave him a small peck on the lips before turning her attention back to me. I was still standing, awkwardly, in the middle of the living room with Edward behind me and a bubbly Alice bouncing beside me.

"Well, sit down and join us Bella!" Esme said, patting the space on the couch next to her. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

I smiled and nodded towards her before I sat down. I looked around to find that every single Cullen was staring at me expectantly. It was slightly discontenting.

"Umm…" I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt. "What do you want to talk about?" I asked hesitantly, not really sure what they were expecting me to do.

"Well," Jasper began. "How about we start with the basics?"

"Okay. Like what?" I asked. This was better than the awkward silences.

"Well, how are you feeling? You seemed really tired the last night at the meeting. I guessed that all of your strength had been drained from the mission you jut returned from." He seemed genuinely curious.

"I thought that you could sense my emotions or something nifty like that?" I asked him.

Jasper simply laughed. "Yes I can, but I was pulling out conversation starters. Besides, I know that the others want to know this too. Especially since that little blow up you had last night when you put Aro in his place."

I laughed slightly before answering. "I feel fine I guess. I mean, have I been better? Yes. But other than that, I feel a lot better than I did two days ago. I was completely drained of everything. It was an… odd feeling. But I am better. Thanks for asking." I told them truthfully. With any member of the guard, I would have lied and said that I felt as though I was in tip-top condition just so that they wouldn't think that I was useless and dispose of me.

I knew that some of the members of the guard were just looking for any reason to dispose of me. Very few people actually did like me as a person.

"Can you tell me exactly what happened? And what you thought triggered the loss of energy?" Jasper asked, obviously in his 'Tactical Officer' mode. (A/N: Whoa! Major Star Trek moment there!)

"Well, I am not sure why it happened, I just know that I have never lost that much power, that quickly. It caused me to panic." I told him as I thought over the possible reasons. "I don't think it was the amount of people I had to hold off, there were only seven and I have done triple that number before without any problem." I paused for a second, thinking over all of the possible factors and variables. "It could have been the fact that the cavern was so large that it was taking a lot out of me to spread my shield that far away from my body and still maintain it without letting anyone loose. I honestly do not know."

I sighed. I didn't like that I had shown weakness. Now everyone knew about it.

"Hmm… I don't know. I would have had to have been there I guess. I have never encountered any power of your magnitude, human and vampire alike, so I cannot base it off of anything." Jasper slipped into his quiet, contemplative mode now as everyone started talking again, the previous topic forgotten.

For that, I was thankful.

"Bella?" Emmett whined.

"Yes?" I asked, slightly wary of what was about to come out of his mouth. I looked to Edward for help but he just shrugged and chuckled.

Fat lot of help he is going to do me.

"Do you know how to hook up the Play Station? I tried for literally fifty hours yesterday and I couldn't do it!" He jutted his bottom lip out in a cute little pout and pointed towards the disconnected game consol that was sitting next to the TV.

"Fifty hours Emmett? Seriously? You cannot say 'literally' and then completely exaggerate the next thing that comes out of your mouth." Rose pointed out and she rolled her eyes at her husband's antics.

"Hush, Rosie." Emmett clapped a hand over her mouth. "I need to hear what Bella says. This is very, very important."

The funny thing was that he said this in all seriousness.

"Well… I don't know, Emmett…" I teased.

"Bella don't do this to me!"

"I guess I can try." I sighed. In reality, I knew exactly how to hook it up I just wanted to mess with Emmett a bit.

"Thank you!" He jumped out of the chair, sending Rosalie to the ground, and ran over to pick me up.

At first I thought he was going to give me a huge hug in thanks, but in true Emmett form, he simply threw me over his shoulder and carried me over to the game console and set me in front of it.

"Work you magic Belly!" He hollered, directly into my ear, before he walked back over to an extremely pissed off Rose.

"I don't think Emmett will be getting any tonight." Alice pretended to whisper to Edward. She waggled her eyes brows at him and giggled.

"You think?" Rose snarled at Emmett.

"Nope! I know." She tapped her forehead and laughed.

I joined her laughter before I turned my attention back to the game console and tried to figure out what exactly Emmett had done wrong. I checked to make sure it was hooked up to the wall and I checked to make sure that the P.S. 2 was hooked up to the TV.

"Can you turn the TV on?" I asked as I pulled on the auxiliary cord.

I heard a slight click as the television came to life. I turned the PS 2 on also and changed the input to the proper setting but nothing happened. I ran a hand through my hair and checked the wires connected to the TV. I almost laughed when I saw the problem.

"Emmett?" I called, beckoning for him to come over to where I was. Not a second later, he was standing at my side with a hopeful look on his face.

"Is it… is it broken?" He asked slowly as though he was scared of the answer.

"Nope. It works just fine." I answered.

"Then what's wrong?" He asked, confused. "Why isn't it turning on?"

"Emmett, what is the first thing that you should do when you plug the three colored cords into the television?" I could feel a smirk work its way onto my face.

"Umm… color to color, right? Red to red, yellow to yellow and white to white?" I couldn't help it. I laughed.

"Pull out the cords and make sure that they are in the right placement." I told him. Emmett immediately pulled out the wires and cursed when he discovered that he had plugged the red cord into the yellow's slot.

"How did you not figure that out?" Edward snorted at him, as if it was the simplest most obvious thing in the world. Which, in reality, it was.

"What were you doing for those fifty hours that you claimed to be working on this?" Carlisle asked, his voice sounding amused.

"Rose." Alice, Jasper and even Esme said at the same time before they laughed.

Rosalie simply smiled and gave us a slow little wink as if to accentuate the fact that she had indeed been doing Emmett. I blushed and re-hooked the cords into the TV as the family continued their comfortable teasing of Emmett and Rosalie's sexual endeavors.

Once the game system was up and running, I picked up a controller and put the Halo disk into the PS 2. I mean, if I hooked it up, I am taking it for the test drive. And what better way to do that than to ruthlessly obliterate the aliens?

I could not think of a better way. Unless Guitar Hero was playing because nothing can beat that game.

I entered the single-player mode and jumped off the platform that I started on, completely oblivious to the fact that everyone had stopped talking and was watching me play.

"Damn alien!" I muttered as one came out of nowhere and shot me, taking a good bit of my life.

"Go, go, go Bella! Kill that odd looking… thing! Die!" Alice squealed. I glanced over my shoulder to see that everyone was standing behind me with their gazes intently fixed on the screen. It was quite amusing that they looked so interested in the silly game.

Some odd sounds coming from the TV drew my eyes back to the screen. I saw an alien running at me, full force. I had just enough time to pull my big gun and shoot down the alien creature before it got to me.

"Nice shot Bella." Emmett congratulated me. "Is that something they teach you here? How to kill aliens incase of an invasion."

I paused the game and looked at Emmett. "Do you really think that any aliens pose a threat to you vampires if they ever decided on coming to visit earth? If they exist at all?"

"You never know…" Emmett answered in an ominous tone, wiggling his large fingers in my face. I smacked them down and rolled my eyes at his silliness.

"Want to finish up?" I asked, holding up the controller in offering.

Emmett immediately snatched the controller out of my hands and started to run towards the aliens screaming random Scarface and Rambo quotes at them as he shot them down. He even managed to get a hold of a Ghost. It was quite impressive.

We stood around Emmett for a few minutes in silence, only breaking the quiet to occasionally yell at the screen. It was entirely pointless but it was funny what they were yelling at the aliens and the gunman.

At one point, Emmett was on Coagulation, driving a warthog. He was giving us a safari tour of sorts as he drove around. "On our right, as you can see, there is a Spartan with a rocket launcher. Let us stop and see what it does."

At that point, the Spartan shot and killed Emmett, obliterating his warthog, causing him to loose.

"You know, I have always wondered what would happen if I could bite my gunman and change him. I know he is already super-human and stuff, but wouldn't he be super-super-human/vampire then?" Emmett asked as he looked through the options menu.

"I don't know Emmett. Why don't we bite one and find out?" Jasper suggested sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

I laughed quietly and patted Emmett on the shoulder trying to reassure him since everyone seemed to be out to get him today. It wasn't his fault that he was so child like and didn't have a sensor on his mouth. He was just a big, loveable, silly guy. I felt bad for him being teased like he was.

… Even if what he said was incredibly stupid.

"How about we leave the video games alone for a while?" Esme suggested kindly.

"Yes. We are probably boring poor Bella with this." Carlisle said, shooting me an apologetic look.

"No, no, it is fine. After all, I was the one who started playing to begin with." I said quickly. I didn't want to impose on their fun. But as I said this, Emmett shut off the game system and walked back over to the chair he had been in before.

Everyone sat back down inn their previous seats. The only difference was that this time, Edward came up behind me, scooped me off of the ground and sat me onto his lap on the couch next to Esme and Carlisle. He played with my hair with one hand while his other arm wrapped around my body and held me to him, tightly.

It felt amazing… it felt right.

Esme started commenting on the décor of the inside of the castle and various other rooms that she had seen and how she was definitely getting ideas for their current house. I politely listened and nodded at all the right times, when in reality, my mind was wandering to other things.

I was thinking of a movie that had been on while I was in Australia. I don't know why I started thinking about it but I did. It was The Lizzie McGuire Movie. I was reminded of something that I had seen a few years ago.

I waited until a pause in the conversation before I asked my question.

"I was wondering if you could answer something for me?" I asked them.

Alice giggled, knowing what I was going to ask.

"Were you ever in a… music video with Hilary Duff, Emmett?" I asked, blushing at the absurdity of my question. (A/N: This is true. Kellan is in Hilary Duff's music video "With Love." He looks super yummy in it.)

Immediately, the entire family started laughing, while I sat there, having no idea what joke I was missing out on.

"You saw that?" Carlisle asked me, his grin was huge.

"Yeah, I just remembered it. I was wondering if I was just seeing things but I guess not. Why were you in a Hilary Duff music video? Seriously?" I laughed.

"Well," Carlisle began. "It all started, like all things that we do that go wrong, with an innocent bet. Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie had made a bet while we went hunting in Appalachia. Their bet was on who would find the first bear. And of course, someone got a little cocky…"

"Emmett placed his money on himself." Alice laughed. "Jasper and Rose both decided to bet against him. So they both said that Jasper would find the first bear simply to annoy Emmett."

"The sad thing," Edward continued. "Was that in Emmett's mind, he truly believed that he was the best at hunting the bears!"

Emmett, who has stayed silent this entire time, finally decided that it was time to interject his own two cents into this conversation. "Bears are my thing. So of course I thought that I was going to win!"

"Anyways," Carlisle continued. "They all three took off and Jasper found a bear almost immediately and took it down, winning the bet. So not only did Emmett have to pay up, but Rose also declared that she wanted to dare him to do something crazy to repay him for a previous dare that he had done to her."

Rosalie snickered at this, and took over the retelling of the story. "Well, I dared him to do an audition for a music video that was being locally filmed. But, that was never the way I planned, not my intentions, when I dared him to audition. I never expected them to actually take him!"

Everyone laughed at the memory.

"We agreed to stop daring people like that when we saw the final product of the video and that slut was rubbing herself all over Emmett." Rosalie sneered.

"I don't blame you." I said.

"Do you have the music video on hand, Bella?" Esme asked.

"Actually…" I trailed off, smiling wickedly at Emmett.

"NO!" He yelled as he lunged at me. Edward's arms tightened around my waist and pulled my body behind his to protect me from the force of nature that is Emmett.

"Calm down, children." Esme scolded in her kind voice. Both Emmett and Edward looked at her with sheepish expressions on their faces before they sat back down.

We chatted for a while about how school had been going for them and how it compared to Forks. We must have sat there, laughing and sharing stories, for another hour or so before I finally glanced down at my phone to check the time. I was shocked at how much time had passed!

"I have got to go!" I told them as I hopped up off of Edward's lap. It took a hell of a lot of willpower to leave the safety and comfort of his embrace, however, I didn't need Aro to send someone to look for me… or worse, for Aro to come look for me himself.

"Why?" Alice whined as she jumped up and grabbed my arm.

"I have to meet with Aro to discuss something. I have no idea what, yet, but he is expecting me. I promise that I will see you later." I tried to give her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Fine." She huffed.

"I will see you guys around!" I waved at them as they all shouted their good-byes and wishes of good luck at me as I walked out of the room. I heard the door open and close again behind me and I knew that it was Edward.

"You can't come with me." I told him without turning around.

Edward caught up to me and walked beside me. "I figured that I would escort you there. That is okay, right?"

"Sure." I relented. I craved his company too much to deny him this. "We need to stop by my room first." I told him as I stepped into the elevator and hit the button for my floor.

I needed to change into my robes. It was mandatory when you had a meeting or any official business. I wasn't sure who exactly they were trying to impress with this dress code, but it was incredibly annoying to have to dress up like a Harry Potter reject just to have a conversation with Aro.

"Are you nervous?" Edward asked as he sat on my bed waiting on me to change into my robes and come out of the bathroom.

"No." I blatantly lied. Of course I was nervous! I didn't know what that crazy old douche bag had in store for me tonight. This could prove to be quite an eventful day.

Edward sighed loudly from my room. "You are as bad of a liar now as you were five years ago." He told me.

"Sorry. I guess acting is still out, huh?" I tried to make a joke but deadpanned.

Edward simply laughed and we fell silent for a few moments. I quickly pulled my hair back and put on a pair of black booties before I stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to where Edward was sprawled at across my bed.

"Come on sleepy head!" I said as I pounced on top of him and bounced up and down playfully. But I stopped when Edward groaned from beneath me and I quickly climbed off.

"I am sorry!" I said, my hands fluttering over him, not entirely sure what was wrong. "Did I hurt you?"

Edward laughed slightly and looked up at me. "Pain was the farthest thing from what I was feeling."

He wasn't in pain? Then why did he groan when I was bouncing on him…

Oopsie.

I blushed a bright red as I realized what he was referring to.

"Sorry." I mumbled again as I looked away from him, thoroughly embarrassed, and slid off of the bed. "Let's get going."

I walked towards the door but I was stopped when Edward's arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me into him. "Please don't be embarrassed, love. I enjoy what you do to me. However, I don't particularly want to explore that aspect of our relationship right now. One reason is because you have somewhere to be, and a second reason is that I would probably hurt you so that would not be wise."

"You know, I could just zap a lot of your strength and even the playing ground…" I raised my eyebrows at him and smirked, feeling a random burst of confidence. That was probably because he had told me that he liked what I did.

I would have to file that away for future reference…

"I don't know Bella." Edward said cautiously. "It is still dangerous."

"That's okay. I don't plan on jumping you right now, silly." I teased him and ruffled his already rumpled hair. But I made a mental note about the idea of zapping his strength…

However, I would have to test this stuff out later because I had a meeting to get to.

I slid off of the bed and latched onto Edward's hands, pulling him with me. It was getting late in the afternoon, and not only had I not eaten today, but Aro was probably getting impatient. I didn't want to piss him off so I needed to get a move on and Edward seriously needed to stop distracting me.

We exited the room, my arms wrapped around his waist and his wrapped around my shoulders, hugging me as close to his rock hard body as possible without hurting me. I realized, in that moment, just how much I had craved this comfortable closeness that we were currently sharing, over the past five years. It was comforting to know that I didn't have to worry about being without Edward anymore.

Well, without him for now.

Who knows what types of parlor tricks the Voltouri would pull out of their well-starched sleeves in order to prevent any type of discrepancy in the meticulous system that is the Guard?

I would just have to savor every moment I had with Edward now and prepare for the worst (the Voltouri not letting me leave, willingly, without a fight and the Cullens having to leave me anyways) and pray that we would figure something out before it actually came to that.

I was not sure how well I would fare if Edward and his family were yanked from my fragile life, once again, and this time with me knowing that they loved me and didn't want to leave.

"What is troubling you, love?" Edward whispered as the doors to the elevators smoothly slid open to reveal its elegantly ornate inside. Which, thankfully, was empty.

"I am worried about what will happen when it is time for your family to leave." I confessed, leaning farther into his side, seeking comfort in his familiar smell and feel of his body. "I really don't want you guys to go but I know that you will have to. Aro will make sure of it."

"That is easily solved." He countered, squeezing my upper arm in a comforting gesture.

"Oh, really?" I asked, skeptical of how he had figured out something when all of my meticulous and well thought out plans resulted in the inevitable death of all of the Cullens and I when I would think through the reactions that the Voltouri would have to each of the different scenarios.

Edward just bobbed his head up and down and rolled his eyes as though it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"Care to share?" I was really intrigued by now. Maybe he had been picking people's brains and had found an out.

"We take you with us." He stated simply as the doors slid open.

He stepped out of the elevator and offered me his hand. But I didn't take it. I was too shell-shocked at the absurdity and obviousness of his statement.

So I did the first thing that popped into my mind…

… I laughed. Hard.

Edward got a slightly confused look on his face and withdrew his hand. "What is so funny, Miss Swan? I see nothing wrong with my plan." He pouted at my obvious rejection of the plan.

I was still laughing when I opened my mouth to answer him and tell him how that was the most inefficient plan ever, when the doors to elevator slid shut with me still on it. Edward, was of course, not on the elevator with me, having stepped off already.

I hit the button for the main floor but instead the elevator traveled up to the fifth floor and the doors slid open to reveal a blank expression on the face of Marcus. I nodded my head in greeting, wondering why he was on the fifth floor, and he simply nodded back.

That was the most interaction I had had with him since I first met the Voltouri. To be honest, I think I had only ever heard him speak once to Aro, and even then his voice was rough and crackly, not the musical voice of most vampires. I sometimes consider extending a hand to him and being nice, thinking maybe all he needs is a friendly face and someone not as… exuberant… as Aro to talk to.

So, I decided, what the hell? And picked the first question that came to mind.

"Hello Marcus. How are you doing today?" I asked politely in my most conversational tone. I was slightly wary as to how he would react.

"Bella, I am fine thank you for asking. And how are you feeling today?" Marcus answered in an equally polite tone and looked towards me.

"Oh, same old, same old. I guess I am hungry and nervous but other than that I feel just fine." I smiled at Marcus, trying to elicit some feelings or emotion from this stoic creature.

"Well, the hungry part makes sense, however, I am curious as to why you are nervous." Marcus' normally blank face had thawed out slightly and it seemed… warm, almost. It looked very handsome on his defined features. He should definitely let down his barriers more often.

"Oh, well, Aro wants to have a chat with me and I have a feeling that he is going to want to address my little blow up last night." I sighed, combing my fingers nervously through my hair. "I have never been on Aro's bad side however I have seen the product of those who have crossed him. It is never pretty."

Marcus nodded once in understanding, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "I can see why that would make you nervous. But I would not fear if I were you. Aro seems to have taken a liking to you and I don't think he would intentionally jeopardize any form of relationship he has with anyone. It is rare that we come across someone that can actually put up with him for an extended amount of time."

I snorted in a very unladylike manner. "Let me make one thing clear to you." I smiled at Marcus. "I simply tolerate Aro. I have honestly entertained the thought of pulling out his vocal cords."

Marcus actually let out a breathy little laugh as the doors slid open to reveal a very anxious Edward.

As we stepped out I turned to Marcus to find the blank mask back in place. "You should smile more. It looks good on you." I told him as I grabbed Edward's hand and walked towards to offices.

"Thank you, Bella." I heard Marcus breath from behind me. It was so soft that I almost didn't catch it.

I turned around and found Marcus smiling slightly at me. "Anytime." I replied before turning a corner and loosing sight of him.

"That was sweet of you, love." Edward kissed my temple. "He needed that."

"I figured that he did. I hated how sad he always looked." I told Edward before stopped walking and pulled away from him. "Anyways, what I was going to tell you before the elevator cut me off was that your plan is terrible and will surely get you killed. The Voltouri would make sure of it."

"I figured as much." Edward sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I had to try though."

"Sorry that your genius plan fell through." I said sarcastically before leaning up on my tip-toes to kiss his lips lightly.

"It wasn't that hard to come up with so don't worry about it." He joked as he rolled his eyes. I laughed at him lightly wishing that I didn't have to leave his presence.

"I have to go now. I will see you later, right?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course." He lightly brushed his lips against mine. "I will be waiting in my room, or Carlisle and Esme's room. Just depends on what type of plans Alice and Emmett concoct this afternoon."

I laughed and turned away from Edward, leaving part of myself with him. But I couldn't dwell on the aching in my chest right now. I had about two minutes before I was faced with Aro and whatever problems he brought with him.

I took a minute to review what exactly I had said last night.

FLASHBACK (A/N: This is just Bella's outburst repeated. Skip if you remember what was said.)

"There is one thing we can improve upon." Felix answered.

"And that would be?" Caius, leaned forward, intrigued. There was rarely a problem.

I silently prayed that Felix wasn't going to bring up what I thought he was going to.

"Bella." I gasped as Felix said my name.

Damn it.

The room was suddenly filled with chatter about what had happened and what I could possibly need improvement on…besides my mortality.

"Silence!" Aro commanded. He stood up and took a step towards Felix and I. "What is the meaning of this Felix? Bella has been trained extensively."

Felix nodded. "I am aware that Bella was trained but this was something that we could not have anticipated. She was only able to hold her shield for about thirteen minutes before it gave out on her. Granted, it was a large room, but nevertheless it didn't hold up for nearly as long as we originally thought it would. She had drained two male newborns of all of their strength, yet the shield quickly faltered." Felix explained.

Great, so they weren't going to allow me to go on duty anymore because of an unreliable shield. I frowned at Felix and he just shrugged apologetically.

"Bella, is this true?" Aro questioned.

I just nodded, looking at the ground.

"What do you propose we do, Aro?" Caius asked.

"I think there is only one option, even though she does not desire it." Aro looked at me sympathetically. "We change her."

I heard a loud growl come from the back corner of the room, but I tuned it out as I jumped up—knocking the chair across the room—and stormed over to the three men at the front of the room, the clicking of my heels and the low, menacing, growl from someone were the only sounds.

"I will leave your company before I allow that to happen. If you wish to keep me around, find another way or else deal with what I have." I hissed at him. He had gone too far, pushing me to the brink.

The room was quietly shocked. No one ever contradicted Aro, but I had done just that. I could handle him if necessary, just one little thought and he would be pinned against the wall along with everyone else.

"Well, well, well, Bella. I do believe that we have a problem here." Aro said. "Did you really think that we would leave you human and let you die?"

I just stared blankly at the power-hungry bastard in front of me. Of course they weren't going to respect my whishes, that wasn't how Aro worked. He wanted everything in the world at his finger tips.

I figure that his power is indicative to what he wants.

He wants to know everything and his power lets him do that… well, except with me. I guess that was one of the main reasons he wants me around forever. Not only for the fact that I was immensely powerful, but he wanted time to decode my cryptic mind.

Aro took a deep breath, his angry expression, softened and faded into one of sorrow.

"How did we get here?"

"Well, I think I know how." I mumbled sarcastically.

"I didn't mean it that way Bella. Of course you have a choice. I just don't know what came over me." Aro apologized.

"No, Aro, I do not have a choice. You have made that painfully clear." I told him. "I… I just don't know why the ten years I could give you aren't good enough."

"Ten years?" Aro looked at me with a confused expression, apparently he had expected more than that.

"Ten years is all you will get out of me. I do not want to be here for the rest of my relatively short life. I want to do something worth while. College sounds nice… maybe get a real job that doesn't revolve around all of you supposedly 'mythical' creatures. I really just don't know." I sighed. "I only know that I will not be here forever, I would go bonkers. I am sorry. I can't do that to myself."

Aro put his cold, stone, hand on my cheek. "Bella, I really wish you would reconsider."

"No can do. I have had my mind made up for a while now. Of course, I will stay for a while longer but I was never planning on staying forever. I will use force if you make it necessary." I told him, holding nothing back.

"Bella…" He started.

"Just let me breath for a little while. I am going for a drive and clear my head." I gave him a small smile before turning and walking out of the room with as much grace as I could muster.

END FLASHBACK

I sighed as I realized that I was royally screwed. I had all but told Aro that I was going to undermine his authority for my own purposes, no matter how resolute those purposes were.

I would not be surprised at all of he literally bit my head off. He hated when someone defied his wishes and intentions. I just shuddered as I remembered what has transpired with Jane and Alec a few months ago…

I shrugged the uncomfortable thoughts away as I realized that I was going to have to walk past Gianna's desk in order to get to Aro's office. I really wanted to avoid any and all confrontation that would most likely result from any contact we had.

So, I did what I thought was best, and in true Bella fashion, I ducked my head and hid behind a curtain of hair as I sped past her desk and knocked on Aro's door.

"Come in." Aro called from behind the think, mahogany door.

I cautiously entered and did a quick sweep on the office. I didn't see any freaky medieval torture devices so I figured that I was safe. Just to be on the safe side, I bottled up some energy and kept it ready and at my fingertips to use to throw up my shield if this meeting went downhill.

I figured, at best, I could use the intercom in Gianna's desk to get the Cullens down to the garage, and hope to get out safely.

But that was just if things went bad. Right now, I was just going to cross my fingers and pray that everything worked out as civilly as possible.

"Good afternoon, Bella." Aro said in an uncharacteristically calm tone. It was slightly unnerving.

"Have a seat if you will." He waved a papery hand in front of him to indicate the two leather armchairs that were positioned opposite of him at the desk.

I briefly wondered how many people had sat in those chairs and gotten yelled at as I was about to.

I sat down on the edge of my chair, my body tense and my back straight, bracing myself for what was to come.

"How are you Aro?" I asked, trying to stall for time.

I really had no interest in doing this right now. I was in a good mood from spending my time with Cullens and waking up in Edward's arms this morning. I didn't want to crash from this high I was on.

Though, they do say that good things never last.

"Fine, thank you." He replied as he wrung his hands nervously on top of his desk. "I assume you know why I have called you in here."

I nodded my head in consent and stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"A few things you said last night really bothered me. I know that I probably deserved many of those comments, however, that does not mean that they don't concern me. I have learned from people's minds that things said when one is angry is usually the truth." Aro stated as he looked around his office. His eyes darted everywhere except where I was.

"Yes, and I do not wish to retract any of the things I said last night. They were all true and I believe that it is only fair that I let you know. You cannot read my mind so consider this your glimpse into my thoughts." I told him, regretting nothing.

I watched as Aro winced at my blunt words and stared at his computer screen.

"I guess," I continued when he hadn't spoken. "That everything you said was also true since you were angry, too. Am I right in assuming that?"

Aro took a deep breath and rubbed his face, finally looking up at me. "I really like you Bella, I truly do. And I hate that I may have upset you with my words but that does not make them any less true. Did you honestly believe that I would leave you human and let you die? Your power is much too rare and powerful to waste. It would be a pity to let it slip through my fingers."

"Aro, I really hoped that you would respect my wishes and just get the most out of the few years that I would willingly serve you for. However, if you force yourself upon me as I feel that you eventually will, I will have no other choice than to take matters into my own hands." I was getting irritated at everyone's views on my mortality.

First Edward and the Cullens are adamant about leaving me human when I wanted to be a vampire and letting me live out my life properly. Now Aro and the Voltouri are forcing their immortality on me when I would rather be human. It just does not make any sense!

Why cant people just listen to what I want occasionally? I never asked for much due to my supposedly selfless nature, however the things that I actually ask for are denied from me.

"What do you mean when you say that you will take matter into your own hands? Would you continue to defy my instructions just because you do not wish to live forever? That is such a small problem… I fail to comprehend why you would go to such lengths to maintain your humanity." Aro thought out loud.

He paused for a moment as though he was thinking of all possibilities for why I would not want to join his forces as an immortal vampire. "Is it the blood that turns you off? I know that you pass out at the sight of it, so that would make sense… if you were human. Or is it the prospect of living forever?"

I took a deep breath. I didn't really want to go into this with Aro but if it would make him understand then I was afraid that I would have to tell him.

"Aro," I began, weighing my words before I spoke them. "I do not wish to be with the Voltouri forever. I have other places where I would much rather be. I also have things that I want to before I die and goals I want to accomplish. That is just the tip of the iceberg."

"Those are such small things that are solved easily. Such as, lots of vacation time and immortality allows you to have forever to complete your goals!" Aro exclaimed, still not understanding why I didn't wish to join his forces. "You better have a better reason because those others are not strong, concrete reasons for denying immortality."

I thought about my other reasons. My main one was that I was heartbroken and I didn't want to put up with the pain from being broken for the rest of eternity.

However, that reason was no longer valid because Edward was back and he wasn't planning on going anywhere.

"Umm…" I faltered, trying to dig up another reason for why I should stay human. I couldn't come up with any so I just pulled a random reason out of my ass.

"It just doesn't appeal to me. I have one of those clichéd voices in my head yelling at me telling me that this is not in any way, shape, or form a good idea. My entire being shies away from the idea of you changing me." It was the truth… well, a half truth.

I was starting to warm up to the idea of being changed but I didn't want Aro or any of the Voltouri to do it. So when I said that I didn't want to be changed, I made sure to tag the "you" onto the sentence so that if anyone ever asked me, I could say that I wasn't lying because I honestly didn't want Aro to change me. I wanted Edward to do it.

Half truths rock.

"I guess that there will be no budging you on this topic." Aro sighed. "What if I offered you things in exchange? Maybe a new car or iron clad promise that Heidi will not drag you out on shopping trips?"

I pretended to consider for a moment. I knew my answer still hadn't changed but I didn't want to make Aro any madder by blowing off all attempts he made at a compromise. That just would not be smart.

"Well, I don't think that either of us will be budging on this topic today." I sighed. "I think that maybe we should take a few days to think about this and then come back to talk again when our heads are clearer and we have a better view of the topic."

I was clutching straws right now just trying to find any excuse to get out of Aro's office right then. I did not want to stay in there any longer than I had to.

His vulture-like, watchful gaze was intently set upon me, absorbing every detail of our conversation and filing it away for later. I assumed that any time he talked to me he always paid extra attention just to see if he could decipher any of my thoughts.

I had gotten use to the intense looks he gave me, but this was just down right nerve wracking! I needed to get out…

"I think that might be for the best. I hope that you will think long and hard about what we talked about. I hope that you change your mind." Aro said as he stood up. I stood up too and shook his out-stretched hand.

"Still nothing?" I asked, suppressing a laugh as I saw the flicker of irritation pass over Aro's face.

"Of course not." He said moodily before ushering me out of his office.

"Bye Bella."

"I will see you in a few days, Aro."

And with that, he shut the door behind me. I turned and walked back towards my room with the knowledge that neither Aro nor I would budge on our opinions over the matter of my mortality no matter how long we thought about it.

I needed out of Volterra.

* * *

A/N: We will start out this long Author's Note with the QUOTE HUNT!!!!

A Katy Perry song is what you are looking for!!

Go figure it out!!! And remember, the prize is a quote from the next chapter!

Anyways, I have a silly tampon story that I feel like sharing with you guys since the last chapter had quite a lot of tampons involved in it. ;)

Okay so when I was in my sophomore year of high school, I was the only one of my friends with a car big enough to fit a lot of people. So I was pretty much the Designated Driver for all party excursions that my friends wished to go to. I never held my alcohol well so I just swore off the whole institution. Anyways, me and three of my guy friends and one of my best girl friends were driving home from the after parties after the first home game of the football team. I had my purse hanging on the arm rest of my chair and I wasn't paying attention to all of the guys in the back because they were drunk so I tend to ignore them when they are like that.

Well, they reached into my purse without my knowledge and took out my tampons and a water bottle. They dipped the tampons into the water so that they would expand and then they threw them out of the window, trying to hit other cars' windshields. I didn't realize what they were doing until they had thrown the first one. Before I could stop them, they threw the rest out of the window and one guy declared that he was thirsty and proceeded to DRINK the water bottle that they had dunked the tampons is. EW!!!

Tell me your silly tampon stories! I want to hear about it!

Also, if you give me 60 reviews before Friday, I will update Friday night instead of on Monday like I always do! So, get to reviewing! I know a lot of people are reading this story (I have about 32,000 hits!) so just review and you will get more faster!!!

I will let you go after that long AN…

Much love,

Chey

*(Happy New Year!)*


	17. Drugged Hummer Jacking

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. However, I do own the coolest pair of shoes ever!

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that last chapter! It took me an entire week to write it!

And for all you people who shared your tampon stories, you made me laugh so hard! I found a few of them particularly entertaining!

xpigs-CAN-flyx: The whole "mousy" thing was hilarious! I went and looked at one of my tampons (seriously) and I can see where he might confuse it for a mouse!

SparklingTwilight: I am definitely curious as to how your bird got the tampon out of the wrapper too! I felt sorry for you when I read that you fell over in just your towel! Oh, dear!!

Nation108: How does someone put a tampon in wrong?!?! That poor girl! Though, it was funny…!

I—points to sheepish look on her face—am so sorry! I am two days late with this update and I have no excuse except for: I procrastinated. I am so sorry! Forgive me?

In other news, I feel that I should thank all of you wonderful people out there who PM me and/or email me. I really love hearing from you all and I think it is pretty cool that you are actually willing to talk to little, silly, dorky, old me.

This is a silly chapter, just a filler before deeper stuff comes up. So enjoy.

Now, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER SEVENTEEN!!!

* * *

"Sparkling angel, I couldn't see your dark intentions, your feelings for me.  
Fallen angel, tell me why? What is the reason, the thorn in your eye?  
I see the angels; I'll lead them to your door. There's no escape now."

--"Angels" by Within Temptation

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

BPOV

Aro shut the door behind me. I turned and walked back towards my room with the knowledge that neither Aro nor I would budge on our opinions over the matter of my mortality no matter how long we thought about it.

I needed out of Volterra.

I would have to plan my escape another time because right now I was pretty damn tuckered out after that little discussion with Aro. All I wanted to do was to go back to my room, crawl into my ridiculously comfortable bed, and crash for a good fifteen hours.

However, my body had other plans for me.

My stomach decided that, since it hadn't eaten since yesterday when I got off the plane, that it was hungry. It growled at me so loud that I was positive that some obscure region of Africa thought a lion was coming after them.

I guess sleep was being bumped down to number two on my priorities list.

I quickly returned to my room to change into jeans, socks, and a sweatshirt before I headed towards the over-stocked kitchen that the Voltouri so kindly built for me. It had everything I could ever need when it came to cooking.

I had a stove with six eyes, a microwave, two ovens (how much did they think one human was going to eat?), one of those toasters where the bread pops up out of it, and a whole slew of other kitchen appliances that I couldn't even being to identify.

I wasn't feeling very creative with my food choices, so I pulled out a little Betty Crocker Warm Delights chocolate fudge cake. I mixed it up, popped it into the microwave and then the wait began…

"Bella!" The voice of Mr. Narwhal, in my vibrantly colored dreamland of swirly, twirly gumdrops (A/N: That is definitely from Elf!), called out to me. "Bella?" It called again, except this time I felt something shake my shoulder.

I opened my eyes to see that, no, I was not in a freaky reenactment of Elf, but sprawled out, uncomfortably, across the island in the middle of the kitchen. I had no idea why I had been dreaming about Will Ferrell. It was sort of scary.

I was still tired and just wanted to go back to sleep, not caring where I was at, so I mumbled into the counter and turned my head to the other side, preparing to go back to sleep, when my half-open eyes collided with a pair of topaz ones that were filled with unreleased humor.

"I see a tuba, I see a gong and I can totally see Bella's thong!" Emmet sung out his own twisted version of "I see London, I see France…" If I wasn't so dead tired, I might have slapped him for saying that but I could have cared less right now.

I heard a familiar, protective growl come from my other side but I ignored it. I was still staring at the golden eyes.

I felt a tug on the hem of my shirt and vaguely registered in my mind that someone was pulling my shirt down to cover my exposed undergarments.

_Thank you,_ I said in my thoughts even though the only person who any chance of hearing them couldn't.

The golden eyes that I had been lazily staring at for a few seconds now, pulled away enough so that I could see Alice's face up-close and personal.

"Morning Sunshine. Time to go brighten the day with your cheery smile and beautiful looks." I knew she was mocking me so I simply rolled my head to the other side only to see Edward, Jasper and Esme staring at me with humorous expressions on their perfect faces.

"Did you guys want food? Because I can assure you that you won't find any in here." I sighed at I pushed my heavy body off of the island and back onto my wobbly feet. My world slanted in a sideways direction before I felt Edward's hands on my arms, holding me in an upright position.

"You are tired. Let's get you to bed." Edward sighed as he picked me up and cradled me in his arms.

"No!" I managed to somewhat get across to them all.

"What do you need Squirt?" Emmett asked as he smiled down at me.

"Iwhuntmuhcayke." I babbled at him, lifting my hand and patting his chest.

"Bella, sweetie," Esme said softly. "I think you should get some sleep. The kitchen is no place to nap in."

"But I want my cake!" I finally managed to get out coherently enough to get the point across. I was really getting hungry and my stomach kept making these awkward noises.

"I don't see any cake, Bella." Jasper said as he sent a wave of tranquility towards me.

"It is in the microwave," I sighed as I drifted out of consciousness.

****** (Bella's dream time… consider it an intermission of sorts) ******

I woke up, feeling well-rested, to the delicious smell of… cake!

I shot up in bed so fast that the world around me spun giving me a sudden head rush. "Ooh." I moaned as I flopped back down onto the comfortable bed.

"Are you alright Bella?" Edward asked as he gave me a slight kiss on the cheek. "You looked a little green there for a moment. Maybe you shouldn't eat this…"

"No! Come back here, Mr. Cullen." I commanded him after I caught sight of a delicious looking piece of chocolate cake and a glass of milk. My stomach suddenly remembered it earlier plight and launched into "growling mode" again. "Listen to this," I pointed at my rumbling belly. "I need that food so don't you dare walk away."

Edward chuckled slightly while my stomach made a rudely obnoxious sound at him when he didn't give me my food fast enough. He had me sit up because he didn't want me to spill chocolate on the white sheets…

…white sheets?

I looked around quickly and noticed that I was, indeed, sitting in Edward's bed and not my own. I briefly wondered if he had spent the night cuddled up against me, but that thought fled my mind as soon as Edward set the tray with my hot fudge cake and the milk down in front of me. This was the best breakfast ever!

I eagerly shoved a bite of cake in my mouth, ignoring Edward's protest, only to realize that it was hot. Really, really hot. I gulped down my milk at record speeds and fanned my burnt tongue.

"I was trying to tell you that it was hot and to be careful, but it seems that even eating you can find trouble. Will I have to feed you from now on?" Edward put on a mask a faux pity as he looked at my tongue which was still hanging out of my mouth as I fanned it.

"Sorry, daddy. I will try to listen next time." I rolled my eyes at his behavior and shoved another bite of cake into my mouth. I made sure to blow on that one until it was cool. I had already learned my lesson.

"She called him daddy. I can only imagine what she will call out when Eddie finally cashes in his V-card." Emmett snickered from the doorway, having let himself in.

"Get the hell out of my room!" Edward yelled at Emmett.

Emmett got the message and walked out, throwing one suggestive eye wiggle at me before the door shut behind him; courtesy of a slightly pissed Edward.

"Sorry about that… again." Edward sighed.

"No need to apologize. I hear stuff like that all of the time." I replied as I shoveled another piece of cake into my mouth.

"Who else has told you that?" Edward's jealously surfaced again.

"You really need to get control of your jealously. I think that it gets on a lot of people's nerves." _But I think that it is a turn on._ I mentally added to the end of my sentence.

"Oh, right! This coming from the girl who slammed one of her own co-workers into the wall just because she may have checked me out." Edward raised an eye brow at me accusingly. "I however, think your jealously is cute so you don't need to get 'control of your anger' as you put it."

I just glared at him and shoved more cake into my mouth.

I finished up my cake in silence and Edward grabbed the tray away from me before I could get up. He could be so sweet sometimes. Aw, screw that, he was sweet all of the time.

"How was your talk with Aro?" He asked as he put the dishes into the sink in the little kitchenette in the room. I could hear the curiosity burning in his voice even though he was trying to conceal it.

"It was… about as productive as I could have expected to be." I sighed.

"You two came to a decision?" Edward spun around to face me, his eyebrow lifting slightly as if doubting the fact that we could have. Of course, he was right to doubt us since we didn't decide on anything…

"Of course not and I never expected to." I rested my head against the headboard of the large bed. "He wants to change me and I put my foot down. Now he is pouting like a child because he didn't get his way. He will probably be pretty difficult for a while."

A strange emotion, that I didn't recognize, crossed over Edward's chiseled features. Before I could try to figure it out, he composed himself and spoke in a soft, caring, tone. "I am sorry, Bella. I wish there was something I could do for you." Edward replied as he walked back over to the bed.

"Just lay with me for a while. That should be enough." I smiled as he climbed into the bed next to me and pulled me into his chest.

"Of course, love."

****** ******

I spent the rest of the day and that entire night in Edward's arms. It was my heaven, returned to me. I never wanted to leave his comforting arms and the Voltouri would never be able to take me (or him) away. Not if I had a say in the matter.

I sighed in contentment and rolled so that my back was no longer pressed to Edward's chest. I wanted to look at him, face to face.

"Good morning, love." Edward smiled his cool breath blew across my face as he leaned forward to kiss the tip of my nose.

"Mmm… yes, it is a good morning." I sighed as I nuzzled my face into his neck and inhaled his heady scent.

"Bella, you need to eat. One piece of cake and a glass of milk in a day and a half is not enough to survive. I need to have you healthy for me! Can I take you out to breakfast?" Edward asked me.

As soon as the idea of food entered my mind, my stomach rumbled ferociously and I blushed.

"I guess that would be okay." I sighed. However, I was too lazy to move right now.

"Alice!" Edward yelled but he didn't have enough time to react before the bouncing pixie charged into the room, grabbed me up by the waist, and pulled me out of the room, covers and all.

Before I could comprehend what was happening, I was sitting in the room that Heidi and I shared as a closet.

"What are we doing?" I asked as I looked around, even though I knew the answer.

"Well, you are going to shower and do as I tell you because you promised me two… _two_ shopping trips while we were here so I fully intend on going shopping today. You can go to breakfast with Edward, of course… I will just be there with you." Alice finished her little rant with a flourish and pointed towards the bathroom's shower.

I showered quickly, eager to get some food in my belly. Besides, if I knew Alice, the less I complained and bitched about whatever she was going to do to me, the sooner I could eat.

When I stepped out of the shower, I found a pair of dark wash jeans, a forest green sweater and a pair of Sperry's along with my undergarments. I dressed in the clothes and wrapped my hair in my towel, stepping cautiously out of the bathroom, prepping myself for whatever was to come from Alice.

"I knew that would look good on you." Alice said before she ushered me back to her room so that she could dry my hair and do my make up.

It took about thirty minutes and a lot of painful pulling of my hair until Alice deemed me ready.

"I really don't want to go shopping." I complained as Alice dragged me into Carlisle and Esme's room where everyone else was waiting for us.

"No Bella, you have got it wrong." Emmett told me. "We aren't going shopping."

"But Alice just said…" I was confused.

"To Alice, going to the mall is _not _just shopping. Therefore…" Emmett told me.

"We are going on an adventure!" Alice and Emmett both said together.

"Going to the mall is an adventure now? I would classify it as torture. Potato, po-tah-toh. Both are the same?" I groaned as I flopped down onto Edward's lap.

"An adventure is not torture." Emmett argued. "It is to take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome, a wild and exciting undertaking, or even in Dungeons & Dragons an adventure is a pre-packaged set of books or box sets that help the Dungeon Master to manage the plot or story of a game."

"Umm…" I just looked at Emmett with a blank expression on my face. Everything that had just come out of his mouth had completely flown straight over my head and not even registered in my brain.

"She doesn't speak nerd Emmett." Jasper chuckled as he walked into the room. "So, I think you better stick with the dictionary terms that you were spewing out before." Jasper paused before an expression of realization crossed his features. "Emmett? Why do you know the dictionary definitions for the word 'adventure' word for word?"

"I… umm… nothing." Emmett ducked his head and sat down into the arm chair that he was in the other day.

My stomach decided to rumble at that moment causing me to blush for about the third time this morning. Alice stood up and clapped her hands and smiled at me.

"Bella, you are obviously hungry so we are going to kick start this day of family re-bonding, shopping, eating for the human, and most of all fun! So let's go on our adventure!" Alice and Emmett cheered while the rest of us either rolled our eyes or tried to sneak out of the room unnoticed.

"Edward! Put Bella down and get back here! We need her!" Alice commanded Edward, catching us as we tried to make a break for our freedom.

"Fine." He huffed before carrying me back to the couch and setting me down.

"Alright, let's go!" Emmett said as he started towards the door but I stopped him before he could leave.

"Guys? How are we going to get there? My cars only hold a total six people even if we split up. And, incase you are mathematically challenged, there are eight of us and I do not condone double buckling." I reminded them, hoping that I have deterred Alice and her day of 'fun and adventure' hyperness.

"And that, my dear Bella, is why we need you." Alice said as a mischievous glint came to her eye. "You see…"

And thus Alice went on to prove why she is dubbed the Plotting Pixie.

"Have you got it?" Alice asked for about the fifth time. She had weaved an extremely intricate plan that jumped through all sorts of unnecessary hoops to achieve the ultimate goal of getting a car that could fit all of us at one time.

"Yes, Alice." Carlisle sighed. "For the last time, we know the plan. There is no need to stress over this. In fact, I am sure that Bella could just walk down there and grab the keys without any of your… scheming."

"Yes," Alice scowled. "But it wouldn't be any fun. And it wouldn't be an adventure."

"You are really adamant about this adventure stuff aren't you?" Rosalie asked.

"Of course. I want today to be perfect!" Alice replied coolly. "And, I foresaw that this was going to bring Bella and Jasper closer and didn't I say that today was about family re-bonding?"

"Yes, dear, you did." Esme sighed delicately.

"Well then, what are you two waiting for? Go!" Alice all but pushed Jasper and I out of the door and shut it behind us.

"You read for an 'adventure?'" Jasper mocked Alice, throwing in some air quotes and an eye roll for my benefit.

"Sure thing. It might actually be fun." I countered as we made our way to the elevator and took it down to the main floor so that we could put project get-the-keys-to-a-car-and-haul-ass-out-of-there into motion.

When the doors opened and let us off, Jasper paused. "Do you want to just walk up and grab some keys?" He asked as he stepped off.

I was about to say yes when I remembered that I still didn't want to have to face Gianna for another long time (or the rest of my life) because of my extreme embarrassment. Jasper seemed to sense the fact that I was uncomfortable and simply nodded his head, hitting the button for the elevator again, misinterpreting my emotions.

"Oh, not like that Jasper!" I grabbed his forearm and pulled him back towards me. "I was embarrassed because of what I did to Gianna the other day and I really don't want to have to face her." I confessed.

"What did you do to Gianna?" Jasper's interest was peaked so I had to tell him.

"Well… I may have caught her checking Edward out and thrown up my shield, sending her flying into the wall behind her desk. I may have knocked her out too." I blushed, a brilliant red, and looked away from Jasper's amused face.

Suddenly Jasper was laughing.

"It isn't funny." I cried, slapping his arm.

"Yes, Bella, it is." Jasper chuckled. "Alright, you jealous little human, let's go get us a car."

"Alright, I know where the keys are, so all I need you to do is to throw some emotion at her, I don't know, make her feel life she needs to go to the restroom or get up and run around, anything to get her away from the desk alright?" I told him quickly.

Jasper nodded and sent out a wave of anxiety towards Gianna, who was sitting at her desk chewing on the butt of her pencil. I could tell when the feelings of anxiety hit her because she immediately sat up straight, tensed, and ran her hands through her hair, looking around as though someone was spying on her. In reality, we were spying on her but she didn't know that.

Jasper and I sat there for a moment more, watching Gianna squirm and fidget with everything in sight before my stomach rumbled. My hunger was becoming worse and I wasn't becoming any more patient… of fed.

"Do you think she will hear this?" I asked, pointing at my belly. "I mean, it is ridiculously loud!"

"She is a human." Jasper pointed out. "Her senses are so dull that they will never pick up on the rumblings of your stomach."

"Thanks for insulting my species." I muttered.

"Won't be for long." Jasper smiled at me.

"They are changing Gianna?!" I whisper-yelled. I was shocked that he had found that out when I had no clue about it.

"No, not at all! I meant you."

"They are not changing me. I will leave here before they do." I huffed. At least Gianna wasn't going to be an immortal annoyance.

"You are really standing behind that decision aren't you?" Jasper inquired.

"Sure, I mean, it is what I want so I should stand behind it, right?"

"It is too bad that you are… she just got up! Go Bella!" Jasper hastily pushed me towards the desk before I could ask him about his comment.

I easily swiped the keys to a Hummer H3 Alpha and jogged back over to where Jasper was.

"Alright, let's go out to the parking garage, I am sure Alice has rallied everyone there already." Jasper said as I led him out to the parking garage. We walked in a comfortable silence even though I was burning to ask him what he meant when he said that something was "too bad." I was sure that he could feel that I was on edge about something, but he didn't have Edward's mind reading power so he didn't know exactly what it was that was bothering me.

When we got to the parking garage, the rest of the Cullens were waiting for us. Rose had the hood to my Enzo popped and was tinkering around with different valves and pistons while the rest of the family was standing around talking.

"We have returned!" I yelled once they were in sight, waving the keys above my head.

"Yes! I knew that you could do it!" Alice pumped a fist into the air. I hit the UNLOCK button on the key fob causing the lights to flash a beep to come from the large, burnt orange Hummer H3 Alpha that was sitting about two rows to my left.

"Cullen family… assemble!" I yelled having a major Justice League flash backs.

Everyone piled into the Hummer with little Alice driving. It was actually quite comical to see the tiny vampire seated behind the wheel of the huge Hummer. I laughed out loud once but when Rosalie gave me a funny look, I immediately shut up.

I slid into the back first and Emmett plopped his massive self down beside me. I had wanted Edward to sit there. Oh, well. Emmett wasn't too bad I guess.

When Edward slid into the middle row, he shot me an apologetic look. In response I just shrugged and rolled my eyes in Emmett's direction.

The ride to the mall was peaceful for the most part. Emmett teased Edward and I for a while and Carlisle listened to me rant about all of the injuries I had accumulated over the past few years. Esme and Rosalie made a list of things that they wanted to shop for since they were in Italy after all. And Edward just sat there staring at me, watching what I did. I felt slightly self conscious at the intensity of his gaze but at the same time, it was welcomed.

When we got to the mall, Edward wanted to take me to get some food while Alice didn't want to wait for me to eat and just wanted to drag me into the first available store.

"Edward," I whined as Alice tried to pull me away from him. "Don't make me leave your side!"

"I don't think that I could ever leave your side, love. It would be physically impossible for me to do so." Edward whispered softly into my ear.

He must not have said it quietly enough because when I leaned up to give him a small peck on the lips, Emmett leaned over towards my other ear and said, "You know, Bella. Edward can't leave you because you are a drug."

"He already told me that I was his brand of heroine." I said as I smirked at Emmett.

"Yeah, well, now this boy is addicted because your kiss is a drug." Emmett laughed at his own joke.

"When I first said that, I was referring to the way her scent affects me. However, her kisses are just as addictive, too." Edward tightened his grip on my waist as he dipped his head towards mine for another chaste, sweet kiss.

Maybe shopping wouldn't be too bad… as long as I got some food first.

* * *

A/N: I am going to kick this Author's Note off with the QUOTE HUNT!!!

You are looking for some Bon Jovi. Go on and find it! (Mandi, you know what you have to do… FIND THIS QUOTE!)

I really want to make a "Where's Waldo" version of the quote hunt. You know, just for kicks and giggles. I could never find that damnable Waldo though… the little bugger.

Hmm… how many reviews can I get from you guys for this chapter?

If you need a little review inspiration, think of: Edward in jeans that hug his butt perfectly, bent over, sexily stalking a mountain lion. ; )

Nice view isn't it?!?

Much love,

Chey


	18. Eek!

Ugh. It hates me.

Continue on…

Sorry for the inconvenience. :)


	19. Double Eek!

Ugh. It hates me.

Continue on…

Sorry for the inconvenience. :)


	20. A matress, a dog and a TRex

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. However I do have an awesome Beta named Portland Writer!!

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing the last chapter! We are starting to wind down on the happy-go-lucky times with Edward, Bella, and the Cullens. While it has been fun to write some silly little nonsense for the last few weeks, I think that it is time to get back to the original plot line and move this story along.

I know, in the past, I mentioned a sequel, right? Well, I made a crucial decision yesterday pertaining to the sequel. I will no longer be doing a sequel. BUT, before you scream and hate me, I am just going to take plot line for the sequel and tie it into the end of this story just to make it ONE BIG LONG FANFIC! Yay! I honestly like that idea better than a sequel. In my honest opinion, sequels usually suck so I am just not going to do it like that. It that alright will all of you?

Also, I took on my first job as a Beta. The person is Portland Writer and the story is called "Worlds Collide." There are only 4 chapters so far but I am instructing every one of you who R&R my little fic here to go read it. Leave her a little review saying "hello!" or something like that too! She is also Betaing for this story now.

;)

And I made a MySpace. Ask me for the link! There is nothing on it yet but I will add stuff probably right after I type this sentence so it will be up and running by the time you take a peak at it!

Now, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, With Chapter EIGHTEEN! (We are almost at 20!)

* * *

"So, don't tell me if I'm dying because I don't want to know.

If I can't see the sun then maybe I should go.

Don't wake me because I am dreaming of Angels on the Moon."

--"Angels on the Moon" by Thriving Ivory

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

BPOV

Edward tightened his grip on my waist as he dipped his head towards mine for another chaste, sweet kiss.

Maybe shopping wouldn't be too bad… as long as I got some food first.

"Seriously you guys!" I whined as I was drug towards my torture. "I actually need some food. I am aware that you guys haven't eaten actual food in a long time but I am going to compare my hunger to your thirst: it cannot be denied! So do not deny me food!"

I was probably talking too loud considering that we were standing in the middle of a crowded mall and everything but I couldn't bring myself to care.

I was hungry to the point that I was dizzy and light-headed and Alice wasn't listening to my complaints. She was driven by one thing, and one thing only… shopping.

"Bella," Alice shook her head. "Eating wastes our time. We will take care of that later!"

"The mall is not going anywhere!" I tried to pout but it wasn't working.

"I want to be able to shop before everything goes to internet shopping!" Alice told me stiffly.

_Where have I heard that one before?_ I though sarcastically as I pondered the possibility that all obsessive shoppers thought on the same wave length. How else would Heidi and Alice have said the same things to me?

I sent a pleading look towards Edward who simply winked at me, conveying that I was to stay calm and not to worry. Of course he had a solution to my problem. Doesn't he always?

I sighed and allowed my stiff body to become pliant. Alice immediately latched onto my arm again and pulled me towards the big stores… on the opposite side of the mall from the food court.

I was starting to wonder when Edward was going to put his plan into effect. I mean, we were getting farther and farther away from my hopes of food with every step. I sent a desperate look towards Carlisle as my stomach rumbled loudly trying to accentuate the fact that I did, indeed, need to eat.

Carlisle simply smiled apologetically at me. Some doctor he was.

I guessed that it was on my shoulders to get myself out of this situation since none of these _loving and caring _vampires were willing to cross Alice while she was shopping to help a human in need.

I made a snap decision to prevent Alice from catching onto it in a vision, and put my plan into action.

I made a slight groaning noise and stumbled a little, alerting the Cullens to my plight, before I faked passing out.

It was really quite easy since I had done it so many times before. I simply let my body go limp and fell towards the ground. I was not scared of the impact, I knew someone would catch me; I just needed to make it look believable.

And it worked.

Oh, did it work.

I felt four sets of cold hands on me, keeping my small body from colliding with the floor.

"Bella!" I heard Edward's panicked voice call out as a cool hand (that probably belonged to Carlisle) pressed into the side of my neck then my forehead and then it was withdrawn.

I was finding it incredibly difficult to keep up the façade of me being passed out, but I managed.

I let out a soft groan and let my head loll to the side slightly, scrunching up my features. When my stomach growled loudly at that precise moment, I prayed to God to thank him for his great timing.

"Are you alright, Bella?" I heard Esme's calm, motherly voice speak to me in a comforting tone, worry lacing her words.

"Mmm fine. Hungry more than anything but still fine." I purposely slurred my words a little as I opened my eyes slowly, blinking at the harsh light of the stores around me.

"Alice," Edward spoke. "How about you go shopping and I will take Bella to get some food. We can join you later."

Alice gave him a glare as Edward pulled me up into a standing position and held me close to his chest. Finally, Alice huffed, frustrated, and turned on her heel, walking off towards the large department store. Rosalie and Esme smiled at me, before walking after her.

"Come on, let's get some food in you." Carlisle said as the Cullen men and I turned and headed in the opposite direction of the ladies.

Edward held onto my right hand while Carlisle held onto my left hand, ensuring that I wouldn't fall over again, while Emmett and Jasper walked close behind me. I felt like I had my own group of security guards.

I almost laughed when I looked around and saw all of the girls and women we passed giving me death glares at the fact that I was walking with four gorgeous men. I guess I would have been jealous of me too.

When we got to the food court, I was promptly sat down at a table with Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper while Emmett went to get me a Cinnabon from the kiosk in the middle of the food court.

"Sorry about that you guys. But I didn't really pass out." I admitted.

"What?" Edward cried, completely shocked at my confession.

"That was a very convincing pass out Bella." Jasper spoke. "It even _felt_ like you were having a black out. I applaud your acting abilities."

"And you said I couldn't act." I stuck my tongue out at Edward who just rolled his eyes at my immaturity.

"Why did you fake it?" Jasper asked.

"Truthfully? I wanted to get away from your wife. No offense or anything but when she is in her shopping mode she scares me. Plus I was incredibly hungry and I didn't see any food in my future unless I faked it." I told him just as Emmett sat down, sliding my cinnamon roll over to me.

"What did you fake?" He asked. "An orgasm?"

I blushed a bright crimson red as Edward reached across the little table and whacked Emmett upside the head. He winced from the force of the slap but it did nothing to take the stupid grin off his face or to take his mind out of the gutter.

We sat in silence for a few minutes as I ate my cinnamon bun eagerly, wanting to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling that had been plaguing my stomach for the last few hours.

"I was wondering…" Emmett voiced, breaking the silence.

I was already wary of what was going to come out of his mouth next. I figured that it would be some type of jab towards me that would be demeaning.

"A fault is a crack in the earth right?" He asked.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward bury his face in his hands and shake his head in horror. I assumed that whatever Emmett was going to say wasn't that bad since Edward wasn't trying to stop him.

"Yes," Carlisle answered. He had the same wary expression on his face as Jasper and I did. It was slightly comical how everyone was worried about what exactly Emmett was going to say.

I took a bite of my cinnamon bun as I waited for Emmett to pose his question or if that was all he was going to ask.

"Well then, why do they say roads are made of ass-fault? Aren't our butt cracks ass-faults?" Emmett asked us in a serious tone.

I lost it.

I started laughing loudly at the absurdity of his question making swallowing difficult. When I started to choke on my cinnamon bun Carlisle hit me on the back while laughing at Emmett, too.

"Emmett," I coughed out. "Roads are made of _asphalt_.Asphalt has a completely different spelling than ass-fault. So, yes, you could call your butt crack an ass-fault but it would not be the same thing as asphalt."

The rest of the Cullen men were still laughing at Emmett while he just sat there with a serious expression on his face as though he was contemplating what I had just told him.

"Does that answer your question?" Jasper laughed.

"Yes, I suppose." Emmett replied before leaning back into his chair, his face morphing into a thoughtful expression.

I looked over to Edward for some insight into Emmett's mind but he simply shrugged and kissed my forehead.

"Some mind reader you are." I mumbled when he pulled his lips away from my head. He simply chuckled at me and pointed at my food.

"Eat." He commanded. "You faked passing out just to get some food so you will eat it."

"Alright, I will." I shoved the cinnamon bun into my mouth and almost moaned at the deliciousness of it. These Italian people really knew how to make their cinnamon buns.

Edward, Carlisle and Jasper started talking about how they were going to explain to the schools and the hospitals why they had missed an extra two weeks than they were originally supposed to.

"Death in the family?" I suggested.

"Done it too many times." Jasper countered. "We need something more interesting."

"How about Emmett eloped with Rosalie and you had to try to track him down." It sounded plausible to anyone who knew Emmett and Rosalie.

"You know," Carlisle chuckled. "That might actually work."

"Hey! What are you implying?" Emmett asked, offended.

"We implied nothing." Edward corrected. "We simply stated that you were the most likely to do something that absurd."

Emmett seemed to accept this and just nodded his head, slipping back into his pensive mode.

Once my breakfast was finished, I slouched down in my chair, not wanting to have to go and endure shopping with Alice. I would rather fake another pass out than be subjected to the particular form of torture.

I groaned out loud and put my head in my hands in hopes that everything around me would disappear and I would wake up back in my bedroom (or Edward's bedroom), well fed, and in Edward's arms. But no such luck was bestowed upon me.

"Bella," I felt Edward's cool hand massage the back of my neck. It felt so good. His skilled hands knew just where to press into tense neck and shoulders.

"Is that better, love?" He asked. I simply nodded my head into the table and sighed.

"Do we have to go shopping?" I mumbled. My voice came out quietly but I knew Edward heard me.

"Come on, I want to do something." Edward said as he pulled my upper body up into a sitting position. I looked around noticing that Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle were nowhere to be seen.

"Where did your family go?" I asked.

"They are your family too." He reminded me as I rolled my eyes. "They went back to shopping. They are going to act as a distraction for us so that we can get away. So, let's go!" Edward latched onto my hand, wrapping his long, cool fingers around my small, warm ones, and pulled me out of my chair, leading me through the mess of people around us.

It was obvious that the Christmas season was in full swing. There were decorations adorning every available space in the mall and people were running amuck with a multitude of colorful bags swinging from their arms, shouting into their cell phones.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked as he continued to lead me through the crowds, keeping a tight grip on my hand.

"Nothing." I answered. "Why do you always ask me that?"

"Because you got quiet for a minute and you are always on my mind." Edward answered simply as though it was the most obvious explanation in the world.

"I'm quiet, you know. And I've found I am scared to know that I am always on your mind._"_ I answered truthfully.

"Yes, I know you can be quiet, but I also know that you can be quite vocal if you wanted to. And, why does the fact that I am thinking of you scare you?" He asked, pulling me onto a bench and wrapping his arms around me.

"I honestly don't know." I told him, burying my face into his neck. "I guess it is because your mind allows you to think about me all of the time while you think of other things too, while my mind only lets me think of one thing at a time. So, I guess I feel bad that I can't always be thinking about you, too." I tried to explain my jumbled thinking but it came out a little confusing.

"Does that make any sense?" I asked, pulling my head away from him so that I could look into his eyes. When my eyes collided with his dark butterscotch ones, I gasped. "You need to hunt." I told him, running my fingers over the contours of his perfectly angular face.

"I am fine, Bella." He smiled at me, leaning in to press his cool marble lips against mine in a sensuous, yet chaste, kiss. It was blissful. One of Edward's hands slid up my arm and tangled his fingers into my hair securing my lips to his in the most intimate of ways. The sounds of my lullaby rose up around us swirling and weaving through the intricate pattern that it formed.

I pulled my lips away from Edward, needing to breath, and rested my forehead against his. I was about to ask where my lullaby was coming from when I noticed that we were sitting on a piano bench (how could I not have noticed that?) and his free hand was running over the ivory keys in a way that only Edward could manage.

Edward took a break from the melody so that he could turn us to face that piano. Once we were situated, he rested his fingers over the keys and looked to me as if asking for permission. I nodded my head, eager to hear the melody that had haunted me for the past five years.

As Edward ran his fingers fluidly over the keys, I closed my eyes letting the notes and the feelings wash over me. Happy, sad, forlorn, angry, longing, and ending with a flourish of sadness with a slight happy undertone hinting that all will be well. It was my undoing.

I found myself quietly sobbing as Edward left his fingers resting on the keys, the last note ringing out.

When a chorus of applause broke out, did I remember that we were sitting in the middle of the mall with an audience looking on to out little show. I hastily wiped the tears from my cheeks and blushed.

"Thank you, Edward." I smiled at him as he looked up at me, love radiating from his deep eyes.

"Come on, love. How about we go somewhere with less people?" Edward asked as he stood up, scooping me up bridal style despite my protests and carrying me away from the crowd gathered around the piano.

Edward carried me out of the mall and into a mattress store next door, waving off the eager sales man waiting to attack us as soon as we walked in, wanting desperately to make a sale.

Once the salesman was gone, Edward set me down and walked through the store, testing each individual mattress nodding or shaking his head, mumbling, at each mattress he tested. When he finally had completed his circuit of mattress testing, he walked back over to me, picked me up again and dropped me onto the biggest, softest, mattress I had ever laid on before.

Edward crawled onto the mattress next to me, pulling me to his chest. I sighed, contented, and snuggled farther into his cool body.

"Why are we in the middle of a mattress store, Edward?" I asked. "Not that I have a problem with it or anything I am just curious."

"Well, I am making up for lost time. All those nights in the past five years that you were alone in bed will be made up for now. Plus, I love how it feels just to cuddle with you. You are so warm and soft. I would compare you to a stuffed animal but I am afraid that would offend you." Edward explained as he buried his face into my hair.

"Oh, a stuffed animal? Really? What type would I be?" I asked, curiosity burning through me. I wasn't offended at all. I actually thought that it was sweet.

"Hmm… well, you are cuddly and soft. You can be sweet but also ferocious, even though we both know that you wouldn't intentionally hurt a fly. You are gentle and caring but sometimes you think you are a lion." Edward smiled as he listed different traits about me. "I would say that you are a kitten but kittens are self-involved creatures and you, my love, most certainly are not selfish or self-involved in any way. So, I would say that you would be my little stuffed yellow lab puppy."

"I am a dog?" I snorted at him even though what he had said was incredibly sweet.

"No, not just any dog." Edward answered chuckling into my hair. "You are _my_ dog."

"Well, you were wrong about one thing." I told him as I rolled onto my back on his mattress reveling in the comfort of it.

"And what was that, Bella?" Edward asked, propping his body up on his elbow so that he could look down at me.

"You said that I wasn't selfish and that is a lie." I smiled at him, glancing over at the disgruntled salesman who was staring at us probably wondering why we were just laying on this mattress.

"I have never found a selfish part—"

"I am selfish with you." I cut Edward off. "Were you not there when I threw Gianna into a wall because I didn't want her looking at you? I don't want to share you."

"Hmm… maybe you should be a kitten. Or a how about a panther? I would call you a cougar but the connotations of that title and its association with women is not something I wish to bestow upon you." Edward frowned.

"How about we stick with the puppy?" I suggested.

"Alright." Edward smiled at me, his dark eyes boring into mine. "What stuffed animal would I be?" He asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

The first thing that popped into my head was mountain lion, but I figured that would be too cliché considering that he liked to eat them and he had been compared to one before. I wanted to pick something unique, something that no one had probably ever compared him to before.

"Well, you are over protective, you are over emotional, and you over react. However, you are kind, sweet, caring and you have a huge and loving heart, no matter that it isn't beating. You are loyal and look after those close to you. You can be unselfish at times even though you have been known to be selfish, too. You always put my feelings before yours so, I think that you would be a loving stuffed umm…," I was drawing a complete blank. I wanted to call him a dog, too, but I figured that it would be offensive considering the fact that he hated werewolves so I picked the first thing that popped into my head, no matter how stupid it was. "T-Rex?"

Edward looked at me with a bewildered expression before he fell onto his back, holding his sides, and laughing his toned little ass off. If he was human, I had no doubt in my mind that he would be crying from laughing so hard.

I frowned at him, sitting up and crossing my arms, turning away from him and swinging my legs over the side of the bed, fully prepared to walk away from him.

I was just about to hop off of the comfortable bed and walk back to the mall when his cool arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back against his chest which was still shaking with his laughter.

"Where do you think you are going puppy?" He teased in my ear.

"Shut up dinosaur." I shot at him. Unfortunately that only caused him to laugh harder.

"Do I really remind you of a T-Rex, love?" He asked, pulling me backwards so that I was lying on his chest, my feet dangling over the side of the bed.

"No… it was the first thing that came to mind." I shrugged wanting to change the conversation.

"I love you. Have I told you that lately?" Edward asked as he wrapped one of his arms around my waist, the other found its way into my hair and was playing with the strands.

"You have now." I answered. "I love you, too, Edward. I hope you always know that."

"I will, Bella, I will." He promised as we fell into a comfortable silence, just lying on a mattress in the middle of a mattress store.

I was on the edge of unconsciousness when I sensed a disturbance in the force. (A/N: Sorry! I had to.) I was acutely aware of the presence of someone else standing close to us, interrupting our moment.

"Can I help you?" I felt Edward's chest rumble as he spoke. I giggled slightly at the weird sensation it gave me.

"I am sorry, sir, but I am afraid that I am going to have to ask you to leave if you don't buy something." The nosy sales man answered in broken English.

I opened my eyes to glare at the offending man. Why couldn't he just let us lay here uninterrupted? I hated salesmen.

"Well, in that case, I would like to buy this mattress." Edward spoke with authority. "And not just any mattress that you have in storage, I want this one, right here that we are lying on. Okay?" I glanced back at Edward who was giving the salesman a look that said 'Just try to tell me no.'

The salesman stuttered out a yes before scurrying off to grab the paper work. Once he was out of ear shot, I turned to Edward and slapped his chest. "You are not buying a mattress just because you don't want to move." I scolded.

"Yes I am." He answered smoothly. "And it is not just because I don't want to move, I have been meaning to buy a bed since I only have a couch, and this mattress is very comfortable." He sighed and stretched his arms over his head, pulling his shirt up slightly so that I got a nice glimpse of his toned washboard abs.

"Why in the world would you need a bed oh ye-who-does-not-sleep?" I accused.

"Bella, love, you do remember that you need to sleep, right?" He looked up at me through his lashes as if questioning my sanity.

"Yes, but what does you buying a bed and a mattress having anything to do with that?" I asked skeptically.

"Well, when we finally get you out of Volterra and away from the Volturi, I assume that you will want to come live with me and our family, right?"

"Of course, but don't hold your breath for getting me out of Volterra. I don't think that Aro will be persuaded that easily." I answered him, rolling my eyes at the fact that he still was banking me being able to escape.

"We will figure it out…" He trailed off as the salesman came back.

I laid there on the bed, comfortably, as Edward and the salesman negotiated the payment and shipment of the mattress to his new house… which I realized I had no clue about where that was at. Hell, I didn't know anything that had really gone on over the past five years with the Cullens.

I made a mental note to ask him about that later.

"One more question." Edward's velvet voice cut through my thoughts. "Do you ship to the United States?"

"U-united St-tates?" The poor salesman looked like Edward had just given him a coronary.

"Yes, I live there." Edward answered the man smoothly.

"Yes, sir. It will cost extra." The salesman answered. I rolled my eyes knowing that money was no object to Edward.

I slid off of the mattress and walked around the store, looking at all of the different mattresses available.

I sat on a water bed… and I thought I was going to be sea sick. I sat on an adjustable bed but I couldn't figure out how to work the remote so my feet ended up in the air with my head at an awkward angle. I then tried a massaging bed. And it felt spectacular! I laid there with the bed vibrating against me.

"Bella? Are you enjoying yourself?" Edward asked with an amused expression on his face as he appeared above me.

"Y-y-y-eeee-s-s!" I stuttered out, the vibrating from the bed throwing off my speech.

"What was that?" Edward asked.

"Y-yyy-e-ee-ss!" I yelled at him, the bed was seriously warping my speech.

Edward simply laughed at me and shook his head before he grabbed the remote out of my hands and turned the vibrating bed off.

"Hey!" I complained in my normal voice. "I was enjoying that!"

"If you wanted a massage, all you had to do was ask. I would have been more than happy to give you one." Edward said as he rubbed my shoulders as we walked out of the mattress shop.

"So are you happy with your purchase Mr. Cullen?" I asked him as his fingers pressed into the tight muscles at the base of my neck.

"Thrilled." Edward answered removing his hands from my back and pulling me to his side as we made our way back across the parking lot and into the mall. We picked up an Orange Julius before we went into Saks 5th Avenue to find Alice and company.

"Bella! There you are!" I was wondering where you had gone off to!" Alice yelled once we were in sight. Surprisingly enough, none of the Cullens were carrying very many bags with them. "I bought you a few things." She told me as Rosalie walked over in a pair of bright gold stilettos.

"I like those, Rose." I told he giving her a timid smile. I still wasn't used to this unfamiliar relationship I had with her.

"Thank you Bella." She smiled back at me, her smile also a little timid, before she walked off to buy the shoes.

The shopping trip didn't last much longer seeing as Alice had already hit all of the stores she had wanted to go to. But Esme demanded one last stop.

"There was a beautiful antique store just down the way. Can we stop by there?" Esme asked. Alice and Rosalie declined saying that they needed to go pick up their reserved bags from the other stores. They agreed that they would meet us out by the Hummer and dragged Emmett and Jasper along with them.

"Let's go look at some antiques." I linked my arm with Esme's and we walked towards the quaint little antique shop on the corner of one of the big department stores. When we walked inside, Carlisle and Edward holding the doors for us like true gentlemen, I was assaulted with the musky scent of pine and wood cleaner. It smelled heavenly.

I took a deep breath and smiled slightly.

"I love the smell of antique shops, too." Esme said as we walked over towards the furniture. Edward was off to the side checking out beds (probably for his new mattress, while Carlisle was looking at some old volumes sitting on a shelf in the back of the shop.

Esme let go of my arm to go look at the lamps and clocks that were adorning an entire wall of the store while I was left standing in the middle of the store, looking around at all of the beautiful things around me.

I walked over to a beautiful cherry maple desk with a matching chair. It was gorgeous. I closed my eyes and I could picture myself sitting behind it, my hair pulled back in a bun, wearing a suit. There was a bronze plate on the desk pronouncing "Isabella Cullen Headmistress" and my eyes… were the same bronze-gold of the name plate.

I gasped and opened my eyes.

I quickly glanced over towards the closest mirror just to double check. Yes, they were still brown.

"What is it love?" Edward asked as his figure appeared in the background of the mirror.

"Nothing." I lied. Edward knew I that I was lying but he let it drop for now.

"Do you like this desk?" He asked as he ran his hand across the smooth, polished surface of the old wood.

"Yes." I answered. I really wanted it. I didn't usually like to spend a ridiculous amount of money ($2,300 for the desk and chair) but for this I would make an exception.

I marched up to the register and whipped out the credit card to the Volturi's bank account. And asked for them to ship the desk to a storage unit that I had full of purchases that I had made over the years and I had kept secret from the Volturi. They never checked their credit cards anyways.

"Bella, I will pay for this. You don't have to." Edward said as he reached for his credit card.

"Nope. This is the Volturi's money that I am spending. So, I am going to waste their money and not yours." I told him.

"Won't you get in trouble for buying unnecessary items?" He asked as he grudgingly put his wallet away.

"Nope. They only track Heidi's purchases since she bought an island last year. Other than that, they really don't care." I told him as I handed my card to the saleswoman. She swiped it and smiled at me, confirming the shipping location before I took the receipt and walked over to Esme and Carlisle.

Once we had purchased our items (Esme got a clock, Carlisle got some books and a paper weight and Edward bought two different beds because he couldn't decide which would be better) we left to meet up with Alice, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett.

"Did you find anything good?" Rosalie asked when we came out to the Hummer to find the rest of the Cullen children lazily lounging around it.

"Yes we did." Esme smiled as she ran through our purchases.

We didn't spend much time outside talking, apparently the sun was due to come out within the next few minutes, so we all piled into the Hummer.

"This is sort of uncomfortable." I told Alice as I tried to squeeze in next to Edward in the back. All of the shopping bags were overflowing the trunk and onto the seats.

"Sorry! I just saw so many things that I liked." Alice apologized.

"You can say that again." Emmett mumbled from my other side as he glanced around at all of the bags.

The ride back was slightly uncomfortable but still fun. I got to heard all about Alice's purchases and how the sales people were overwhelmed by the amount of items that she was having them bag and ship to America.

I was about to ask where they were living at in America when Alice froze, causing Jasper to have to take the wheel, and Edward hissed.

"Alice, sweetie, what is it? What did you see?" Esme asked, her voice worried.

"I saw…"

* * *

A/N: QUOTE HUNT bitches!

You are looking for a lyric from Howie Day from his "Stop All the World Now" album.

Go, search, find!

There was something else that I had wanted to talk to all of you about but I had a brain fart and I completely forgot. I got distracted by the promise of Italian foods and the possibility of snow! Yes!

I got bored listening to my iPod when "Read My Mind" by the Killers came on. I couldn't help but see some similarities between it an Twilight so I will share my discovery with you.

"Read My Mind" is obviously Edward  
"The teenage queen" is Rosalie for obvious reasons  
"The drop dead dream" is Esme because she had a dream of having a child and killed herself (almost) when she lost it.  
"the Chosen One" is Carlisle for obvious reasons  
"A southern drawl" is Jasper because he is from the south  
"a world unseen" is Alice because she sees the future that no one else can see  
"a trampoline" is Emmett because he is always so happy-go-lucky and full of fun.. like trampolines!  
"a broken wrist" is Bella being clumsy

Anyone else see the similarities or am I just having a "What the hell, Chey?" moment?

Much love,

Chey


	21. Some Seriously Shitty Shit

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own over 1500 books, thank you very much.

A/N: Sorry this took so long. I had a crap week. Not only was I busy as hell but I was sick. Eww… I got a head cold and some serious migraines. I couldn't see straight and the fluorescent lights in the classrooms and hallways were not helping my case. PLUS I threw out my shoulder!

Anyways, you all have my permission to light your torches and grab the pitchforks. I mean, I gave you guys that horrible cliff-hanger and then I disappear and don't update until a few days after I usually do. I am a terrible person. :(

Also, I guess I should warn you, but I am going to be sporadically updating for the next few weeks. I have a lot of stuff that has started with school (spring sports and finals to study for) and I am dedicating about 17 hours a week just to sports and work outs to stay in shape. So, if I go a week and a half without updating, please be understanding and don't send hate mail!

Anyways, I want you to know that I love you all and I am NOT giving up on this story (some people have been asking that) and I plan to finish up this story before I begin on one of the other stories that I have bouncing around my over crowded noggin. It is a party up in here.

So, let's end my little prattle and move along, move along, like you want me to. (Lol!)

So, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, With CHAPTER NINETEEN!!

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

APOV

My senses blurred, no longer focused on the present. I could feel myself being dragged away to a possible outcome, a decision. And by the force of the pull that I was experiencing, this was going to be one hell of a vision. I had found, over the past few decades, that the stronger the pull that I felt, the more potent or set in stone the vision tended to be.

I could no longer sense my family around me as my head swam with glimpses of what could be. I saw the typical flashes that always led up to the main vision. But these flashes were different that the "vampire Bella" ones that I had been seeing lately.

I could see our family standing around, with grave looks on their faces. But before I could decipher why they were standing there, the vision wavered out and was replaced with a different one; a much darker one.

I saw Bella.

She was standing there, in a bright white and marble room, very much a human (contrary to recent visions of her being a vampire), but I couldn't decipher that was in her eyes and in her expression. She looked scared, but not quite. Maybe it was more determination?

The vision pulled out, as Bella seemed to be standing her ground against something, not flinching. What was coming for her?

I could not see why but I could see Bella's shoulders and back tense up, her hands going up defensively in font of her, as if she was shielding herself from something. I saw s flash of something black before everything went black and I was dragged back to the present.

I knew that Edward would be spewing questions at me as soon as I was fully back in the present. So to head off his questions, I searched for Bella's future.

I couldn't find anything; it was all blackness.

What did this mean? I couldn't get a feel for when my vision was going to take place, but from how strong and clear it was, I knew that it was soon. But how soon is soon?

As I drifted back into the present, I could hear Edward let out a low hiss, no doubt having pulled Bella into his arms. He would not, for the life of him, let go of her anytime soon.

"Alice, sweetie, what is it? What did you see?" Esme asked, her kind, motherly voice worried.

"I saw…" I began as I took back the wheel from Jasper who had taken over it when I had been overcome by my vision. I shook my head once, to clear it, before continuing. "I saw Bella."

Emmett snorted, not seeming to understand. "You always see Bella and you always say that she is becoming a vampire soon or something like that. So this is nothing new."

"No Emmett." Edward hissed, his arms wrapped tightly around a very confused Bella.

Oh, Bella. Please don't let my vision come true. I didn't think that I could stand to lose my best friend right after I had just gotten her back. I think our family would truly be torn apart if she were to die. As Rose had said before, Bella was the glue that was responsible for holding our family together.

"Alice did not see Bella as a vampire." Edward continued to hiss at Emmett.

"Well, then what did she see?" Emmett asked, voicing the confusion that everyone was feeling.

"I saw… I saw Bella die." I whispered, but I knew that they all heard it.

Esme and Rosalie gasped, while Emmett and Jasper just stared at Bella with wide eyes. Carlisle, on the other hand, looked contemplative, most likely wondering how this could be avoided.

Bella, for some odd reason, took one look at all of our worried faces and laughed.

My God, she laughed.

BPOV

"I saw Bella die." Alice whispered as she turned around in her seat, glancing around at all of our expressions. I didn't bother looking around at anyone; I knew that they were going to be shocked and upset. So I just let my head loll to the side as I absorbed this new information.

The fact that they were taking this so seriously was almost comical. I had the entire Volturi on my side, willing to protect me. So how the hell would I die?

So I went opened my mouth to tell them not to worry, I found myself laughing instead.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked me. I opened my eyes to see his face close to mine, a worried expression painted on it. "Sweetie, Alice just told you that you were possibly going to die as you are laughing."

"I know." I giggled, clamping a hand over my mouth in an attempt to contain my laughs.

"Then why the hell are you laughing?" Rosalie exclaimed, her eyes wide with her blatant shock.

"Love, are you sure that you are okay?" Edward asked, worried, as he pulled my body closer to his.

"Of course I am fine." I told them. "I get death threats just about every other day. This is nothing new to me. So don't get so worked up over it. I am sure that it will amount to nothing." I shrugged slightly as I glanced out the window, noticing that we were nearing the exit for Volterra.

"Bella, this vision was pretty resolute. I don't think that very many factors will sway the outcome of this one." Alice told me, her bright golden eyes boring into my own.

I sighed and pushed my hand roughly through my hair. Well, if they wanted to make a big deal out of this, I guess that I could try to take this seriously.

"I honestly think that you are blowing this ridiculously out of proportion but if you want to take this seriously, then fine, we will. What do you want to do about this?" I asked.

"You are acting so nonchalant about this. Are you sure you are okay?" Jasper asked from the front seat.

"What do you want me to do? I mean, someone is threatening to kill me again. Big deal. Does it ever stop? I am always getting my life threatened so this is nothing new to me." I reminded them. I mean, when I had first met their family, within a few hours of being introduced, I was on the run from crazy vampires. They had to be use to this by now.

"Well, let's pull over somewhere and talk this over." Carlisle suggested; always the voice of reason.

Everyone seemed to agree so Alice pulled into a Pottery Barn like store that was on the side of the road and everyone exited the Hummer.

"Alice," I called out. "You are aware that this store is closed, right?" I asked her as she waltzed up to the front doors of the store.

"Yes. But a couple of doors have never stopped me before." She claimed as she giggled the handle a little and pressed her body against the spot where the doors joined.

With a slight creak, the store's doors swung open and the strong scent of evergreen and maple hit my nose. It was a comforting smell, reminding me of the dense forests surrounding Charlie's house in Forks. I missed him so much.

I felt the longing for my home overcome me.

I felt a cool hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at Jasper as I felt a huge wave of contentment wash over me.

"You miss them so much." He stated as he led me through the large, deserted furniture store.

"Yeah, but what can I do? I mean, they think that I am dead. There isn't any coming back from that." I sighed. "Plus, sometimes I think that it is for the best. If they thought that I was alive, it would be complicated to have to try to keep them ignorant while juggling everything the Volturi throw at me, too. This way it is much simpler. More desirable? Not at all. But definitely simpler."

"I understand. I know what it feels like to leave someone behind. We all do. It isn't easy." Jasper looked at me, his eyes showing only sympathy for me.

"Well, it has been a few years and I have had plenty of time to cope with it. But that doesn't change the fact that, no matter how tough the Volturi make my exterior, inside I am just a girl who wants her mommy and daddy." I let out a little laugh at my immaturity.

We came to the middle of the store where living room displays were set up. All of the Cullens were sitting around a coffee table in various types of couches, armchairs and chaises.

Edward patted the spot next to him on the love seat. I smiled and plopped down next to him while Jasper took his seat by Alice on the couch.

"Why are we in a deserted furniture store?" I asked, curious as to why we were here. We could have just as easily talked in the Hummer.

"Well," Alice began. "I wanted everyone to be comfortable and be able to see everyone easily. I know you guys were uncomfortable in that back seat because of all the bags. I wouldn't want you to get a paper cut, Bella. Especially considering that was what landed us here in the first place."

"True." I agreed as I settled into Edward's arms.

"Alice," Carlisle spoke, getting right down to business. "Do you know when your vision will occur?"

"No, I do not." Alice replied, shaking her head. "I do know that it will be soon though. Within the next few weeks is my guess."

Carlisle nodded once before questioning her again.

"Any guesses as to why someone would want you dead?" Edward asked, flinching when he said the last word.

"Sure. There are plenty of people who are probably offended that I am in the position that I am. There are people who want my position, too. The list goes on and on." I rolled my eyes as I recalled who all wanted me dead.

"What would be the most likely reason?" Jasper asked as he wrapped an arm around Alice's delicate waist.

"Well, there is always the possibility that someone will lose control and drain me." I stated. It was the most obvious reason and it explained why in the vision someone would be attacking me or whatnot.

"That is logical and a definite possibility. But you can defend yourself, right?" Carlisle asked.

"Of course, if I have enough energy, it would be easy." I sighed as I tried to think of another logical reason as to why someone would kill me.

"There is also the possibility that Aro tries to change me and I resist, causing something to go wrong. That could definitely happen. Aro is all for instant gratification so I figure that he will eventually change me by force." I thought out loud.

"Well, let's hope that it doesn't come to that." Esme sighed as she fingered the material of the chair she was sitting in.

"Do you have any idea as to the who, the what, or the why behind the vision?" Carlisle asked Alice.

Alice shook her head again. "Nope. I know that Bella was standing in a white marble room and she was tensed as thought preparing to fight. But a black blur enters the vision and then I lose it."

"Black blur? Could you tell what the blur was?" Esme asked.

"No." Alice sighed, looking at me apologetically.

"White marble room?" I asked as I thought back to all of the rooms in the castle. There was definitely a whit marble room there. I shuddered as I thought of its purpose.

"Yes. Do you know of any white marble rooms?" Alice asked. Everyone's eyes were on me, waiting for my answer.

I simply nodded. "Can you draw it for me?" I asked, praying that it wasn't the dreaded room that I was thinking of.

Alice agreed and went in search of a pencil and paper. I put my head in my hands, knowing that the vision Alice had, if it took place in the same while marble room, could very likely come true. I had actually been anticipating this but I hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"Are you okay, love?" Edward asked.

"Peachy." I grumbled, not taking my head out of my hands.

I felt a soothing hand press into my back in an attempt to relieve my tension.

"Here you go." Alice said as she thrust a drawing into my line of sight.

The drawing was perfect. It showed in detail each individual tile on the floor; the flowing grain of the marble. It showed the plain, yet daunting, walls that stood strong around the room. There were even the large Greek-like pillars that adorned the frames around the large ornate doors.

"Holy shit." I cursed and pushed myself away from the offensive drawing.

"This isn't good." Carlisle said as he stood beside me, gazing at the drawing.

I had completely forgotten that he had stayed with the Volturi before. Of course he would know of this damnable room.

I stared at him with wide eyes, begging him to help me out. If this room was where my future stopped, then it made sense.

I _would _die.

"What is it?" Jasper asked as he gazed at the sketchy calligraphy of his wife's drawing.

"The execution room." Carlisle and I spoke at the same time. (A/N: I almost left it here but that would have been cruel!)

"This is the Volturi execution room?" Emmett asked, appalled. "I always pictured the place to be red and black with corpses hanging everywhere. Not this pristine white room."

"It doesn't look like it would be scary or anything, but it truly is." I told him. "The first time I had to clean it up, I almost had a panic attack. Everything is snow white. There is no color variation. Just whiteness everywhere… If you are locked in there long enough, you would surely go crazy." I told him, shivering at the memory.

"Well there goes my theory." Emmett said as he sunk back into his chair.

"You had a theory?" Rosalie scoffed. "About what?"

"About how Bella died!" Emmett exclaimed as he leaned back, putting his hands behind his head.

"Care to share your theory?" Rosalie prodded.

"Well, I figured that maybe she just tripped and fell down the stairs or something." Emmett stated, receiving incredulous looks from every member of the family.

"Hey! It could happen!" He said defensively.

When everyone nodded and agreed I was shocked. "What the hell? I am not that clumsy." I defended myself.

"Sorry Bella, but you are. Anyways, that won't work because someone attacked her. So that one is out." Jasper smiled apologetically and I just scowled at him.

"What could possibly cause you to be put in the execution room?" Carlisle mused. "Only the worst of the worst have been dragged in there."

"I have no clue." I sighed, exasperated. I leaned back and buried my head in the crook of Edward's neck.

"Shh, love." Edward's soothing voice whispered in my ear. "It will be alright. No one will get to you, I promise."

"Well, you know what another possibility is." Rosalie spoke up, breaking the silence that had settled around us. "Maybe Bella's argument with Aro regarding her humanity spirals out of control and it leads to a fight. I mean, you don't want to be changed do you Bella? So it only makes sense that if he were to force it upon you that you would try to fight him off."

"That makes sense and it definitely sounds like something Aro would do. But who knows? The old bastard is so unpredictable." I replied.

"Those are the only reasons I can think of that would warrant the execution room." I sighed as I pushed myself out of Edward's arms. "What do you propose we do?"

"I vote that we take you away right now and hide out for a while until this all blows over." Edward suggested, completely serious.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"No can do, Edward." I smiled at him. "I am 100 percent sure that Aro would never let the just 'blow over' like you think. No, he would search until he found me. Of that I am positive."

"I know he would, I have read it in his mind. He is way too possessive of you. I just thought that I would toss that idea out there for you." Edward shrugged as he waved his arms at me, signaling that he wanted me to come back to his arms.

"You are way too possessive of me too." I sighed as I walked back over to him.

"Yes, well, I have reasons for being possessive. His are unwarranted." Edward smirked.

"Anyways, I think that we should return to the castle and you guys should stay for the rest of the week, leaving when you originally planned on leaving. We will try to iron out the rest of the details of the vision as we go but we are going to have to remain on our toes. I don't want any of you goes going anywhere alone at any time. Okay?" I commanded them, knowing that this would be dangerous for them too, not only my life would be at stake.

If I died, Edward would, of course, do something completely rash.

"What do we do when a problem arises?" Esme inquired, her warm golden eyes looking around at all of her children.

"I don't know. I really don't know, Esme." I answered. "We will have to figure it out later on. Let's just go back. I don't want them getting suspicious of why we were out for so long without checking out the keys to the car or any of the other protocol shit that we have to do." I ran my hands through my hair again and got up.

"What time is it anyways?" I asked as the family stood up and prepared to leave, getting rid of all evidence that we were there.

"Quarter past four." Alice said as she appeared by my side.

"Ugh!" I groaned as I pushed open the store's doors and made my way through the slight rainy drizzle towards the Hummer.

"What's the matter?" Esme asked.

"I missed my training session." I told them.

"So?" Emmett asked, clearly not getting the point.

"They will know that I am gone! I was hoping to get back and slip back without it being noticed that I wasn't there. This is terrible!" I cried as Edward crawled back into the Hummer and situated himself next to me, just as before.

"I am sure that we can make up some excuse as to why you were late and missed the session." Edward said, trying to comfort me.

"I would like to see you try." I mumbled into his shoulder. "I really hop you guys have your gloves handy (A/N: Haha! Get it? Gloves are _hand_y? Sorry. I thought it was funny. Anyways…) because you know he is going to try to pull something over you guys."

They all pulled out their gloves and put them on while Alice exited the highway and we could see the dark structure of the gothic castle looming in front of us.

"Show time." I mumbled mainly to myself as we pulled into the road that led to the garage.

"Alice." I called, suddenly remembering something. "Switch with me. You aren't allowed to drive."

Alice nodded and we quickly shuffled everyone's seating arrangements so that I was driving with Carlisle in the passenger seat. Edward, Esme and Rosalie sat in the middle row with Emmett, Alice and Jasper in the back.

I could feel the nervousness course through my body as I neared the garage. I had no clue what to expect from Aro and company as soon as I was in the castle but as much as I tried not to think about it, I couldn't help but to play out a few "what if…" scenarios.

"Bella…" Jasper said from the back. I glanced up into the rearview mirror to see him looking at me with a nervous look on his face. Why was he nervous?

"Care to tone down the emotions for me?" He asked.

Oh, right.

"Sorry." I muttered as an apology as we turned into the garage. As I pulled towards the front of the building, near the castle's entrance, I caught sight of something that I really didn't want to see.

"What did you think you were doing?" Aro asked as he appeared next to my window.

"Shit." I heard Emmett mutter.

Shit was right.

* * *

A/N: QUOTE HUNT!

You are looking for a Death Cab for Cutie quote. It is well hidden so look carefully. It is from their Transatlanticism CD.

Ready? Set? HUNT!

Kudos go out to my Beta Portland Writer! She is awesome! Go check out her story Worlds Collide which, ironically, I am the Beta for!

Oh, and if you get me up to 777 reviews (I am at 699 right now) I will update faster! You know you want to know what happens next. So in order to make you want to review, I am doing something that I have seen other authors do. Ask me any question you would like. It can be a personal question, a random question, or even a dirty question (if you are so inclined) but I will answer! Don't be shy!! Remember, I don't know who the hell you are so I can't be like "What in the hell kind of question is that?!" (I wouldn't do that anyways.)

Much love,

Chey


	22. Kicking Wrinkly Asses

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own an addiction to Hershey Kisses.

A/N: I love you all!! ;) Haha! I got some pretty awesome reviews from you guys over the last few days! Nation108 called Aro a Turkey Butt; Sheeijan said that the Cullens freak out "in style" (haha!); and SummerTam pointed out that I may have guy readers (Tell me if you are a guy I want to know!!!!!! I think it is awesome when guys read Twilight and I want to hear about how you view the Twilight books versus how girls view them.).

I figure that I might warn you ahead of time, but I tried to use a lot of sensory skills in here. We were learning in my lit class about how the use of certain forms of tactile, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, and visual sensory devices to try to "enhance my writing" because my professor said that I needed more depth and detail to my writing. So I figured, "what better way to practice than in my fanfiction where people can review and tell me what they think of this new style!" So, tell me if you like this form better than the way I wrote before or not. Even tell me if you don't notice a change!

Well, I think that is all for now. The Quote Hunt is at the bottom of course.

So, without further ado…

Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves with CHAPTER TWENTY!! (Oh, yeah!)

* * *

"You set your mind on cruise control; knuckles grip the wheel in fear to let it go.  
Love is empty, love is cruel, love it blindly breaks the rules.  
How could you have been a fool? It's something all of us go through.  
You choke back tears and swallow lies but those wiper blades won't fix you eyes,  
Count on having clouded vision for at least a little while."

"Headlights" by The Classic Crime

* * *

Chapter Twenty

BPOV

"What did you think you were doing?" Aro asked as he appeared next to my window.

"Shit." I heard Emmett mutter.

Shit was right.

I turned to face my worst nightmare, personified.

Because I was in the Hummer, I was a good few inches—but not many—above Aro's eye level. Yet, even though he wasn't able to easily look me dead in the eye, I was still intimidated.

I adverted my eyes, trying to avoid contact with those ruby red pools of death that the Volturi would call eyes. But I could feel their penetrating gaze boring holes through my fragile, human skin.

If I had never felt truly afraid before, you can bet you ass that I was feeling very scared right now.

I could feel my hands quake with tremors as I gripped the steering wheel tightly until my knuckles were white with the exertion I was forcing upon them. I couldn't, per say, admit that I wasn't scared for myself—because after Alice's vision I _was_ scared. I just tried not to show it. But even more so, I was scared for the Cullens. I had just been reunited with them, yet in a matter of seconds they could be ripped away again. Just this time, it would be for good.

I took a deep breath—that was meant to be relaxing—but caused my entire frame to shake right down to the core.

I was afraid for my family.

I threw a quick glance in the rearview mirror, looking at each and every one of the Cullens in turn.

Carlisle was staring at Aro with a calm exterior put up in an attempt to seem in control but I could see the worry and slight panic swimming anxiously through his bright amber eyes as his hand gripped Esme's tightly.

Esme had both of her hands wrapped around Carlisle's lone hand in her grasp. It didn't seem as though she was willing to let go for anything. Not that I blamed her. If I were closer to Edward, I would be clutching onto some part of him as though my life depended on it; as though that solitary part of his being would keep me grounded when all else failed to anchor me.

I glanced up to see Esme's expression morphed into one of panic and worry just as Carlisle's face was, just with seemingly more motherly undertones to her worry, her motherly instincts taking over and making her look out for her children. I could see her eyes flicker from Aro's daunting expression to every single one of her children and her husband before her eyes met mine.

Esme's eyes widened trying to convey a message of "I cannot lose you all" in her motherly fashion. I glanced towards the ceiling once before looking at her again to acknowledge that I understood what she was trying to get across. I may not be a mind reader but I could tell what was plaguing Esme right now.

I continued my sweep of the back of the Hummer, entirely too aware of the fiery red gaze that was still boring into me, waiting for my answer to the previously asked question.

Alice had a blank, glazed-over look to her eyes as she gazed into a future that, depending on our decisions, could snap into a different direction, like a rubber band, on a moments notice. It was a fragile barrier between the now and the future but Alice had enough practice with the vision understanding that I did not doubt that she would do everything in her power to head off any potential miss-haps.

I could only hope that she would be given enough forewarning to be able to prevent any potential problems that may arise.

Jasper had Alice's tiny, unmoving form cradled on his lap. His burly, muscular arms were wrapped firmly around her tiny waist in a protective, yet comforting manner. His cold eyes were unwavering as his stared at Aro, his eyes challenging him; daring almost. It was a make-any-sort-of-move-towards-my-wife-and-die glare.

I felt a wave of calm and a boost of courage shoot through me as Jasper shot a pleading glace at me, willing me to use this burst of courage to reason with Aro.

As I looked to Emmett and Rosalie, I caught a glimpse of Edward's penetrating gaze looking towards the rearview mirror that I was still utilizing to look around the back of the vehicle.

He was alternating between shooting death glares at Aro—no doubt for the thoughts flowing through his disgusting mind—and looking at me with worried, caring, eyes. I could feel all that he was feeling and even, to an extent, understand the meaning behind the looks. That was, no doubt, due to the connection him and I now shared ever since I had connected myself to him in the most intimate of ways; through his Mark.

The Mark was the place where a vampire was most vulnerable to me. So the fact that he willingly let me connect to him that way was a huge show of love and unyielding trust for the other. It spoke volumes of his character.

I caught his eye and shot him a little half smile in an attempt to calm him. I knew it wouldn't work, but I couldn't just sit here and not try something.

A small smile graced Edward's full lips but it only lasted a second before his eyes shot right back to Aro's face.

My reluctant gaze slid over his face towards Emmett and Rosalie's forms, which, at the current moment, were sitting there, with backs straight and looks on their faces that would literally kill. Emmett's eyes were black and glaringly protective as he stared Aro's seemingly frail form down. Rose's expression wasn't much different. If anything, her glare was scarier than Emmett's was. I didn't know it was possible to be scarier than Emmett, but Rosalie was living proof that it was entirely possible.

I was surprised that Aro didn't keel over from the intensity of their glares.

I adverted my eyes from the rearview mirror and focused back on Aro's cold, unfazed expression.

"I will repeat my question, Isabella." He hissed, his eyes squinting until they were only intimidating slits of burgundy. "What the hell are you doing?"

I took a deep breath, thinking over my words, carefully, before I spoke them.

"You put them under _my_ care Aro. They are _my_ responsibility for the duration of their stay. And I do not need to give you a reason as to why I am simply being a good host, as you expect of me, and showing your _guests_," I stressed the word, trying to remind Aro that the Cullens were only guests, "around Italy as you request of all of the people you enlist for guide duty."

"I am aware of your duties, Isabella. I am the one who assigned you them to begin with. But keep in mind that I am also the one who can take them away." He hissed again.

I had rarely heard Aro's "mean voice" as I had decidedly deemed it, seeing as he only used it when he was super pissed. But I quickly learned that when he took on this tone of voice, he was a force to be reckoned with and it was best to steer clear because the person on the receiving end of this tone of voice usually didn't fare too well.

And right now, I was that person on the receiving end. And I had a feeling that if I didn't do something—and quick—that I would _not, _in any way, shape or form, fare well at all.

The Cullens probably wouldn't turn out too hot either, if I had to guess.

I closed my eyes and tried to reign in my raging temper.

"Aro," I all but hissed at him through clenched teeth, my eyes still tightly shut. "Do you think that it is wise to push my buttons and continue to piss me off right now?"

"You are human, young one. You are of no threat to me." He scoffed, his harsh voice climbing an octave, becoming unbearably shrill as his annoyance and anger rose.

"Yes, I am human. But I could also kill you in a moments notice if you don't let me cool off and get my wits about myself. I really don't want to lose control and kill you. Not to mention, that I am PMSing right now, so I am also hormonal." I almost begged him to understand. "Anger and hormones are not a pretty mix!"

"I am aware of that. But as recent events have proven, you are not strong enough to even hold a proper shield, let alone kill me, hormones and anger be damned." Aro's voice was taunting, mocking my ability, which, on any other occasion, he would have been praising for its powerfulness.

I snapped.

Just like I had with Victoria, all those moths ago; I snapped.

I kicked open the door and was out before any of the vampires had a chance to react. I threw up my shield, focusing it all on Aro's frail, papery, form and sent him crashing into the cement wall behind him.

With a slight "oomph" coming from his thin lips, he made contact with the hard, unyielding cement. But his marble skin was un-phased.

"How does it feel to be on the receiving end of my power, for once Aro?" I sneered as I sauntered over to Aro's thrashing body.

I wasn't worried that he would break free.

No, not scared of him at all.

I could see the fear in his eyes—fear that had never been showcased before—fueled my anger and my will to torment him further.

Aro wasn't answering my question and it was pissing me off further.

"Answer me!" I yelled at him.

"Wh-what-t?" He squeaked out, all of the hissing and terrifying voices he had been using before, seemingly forgotten. Right now he looked like the scared little bastard I always knew he was.

"How does it feel to be powerless? To be beaten out by a simple minded, weak, _human_?" I spat at him, getting right into his face.

I was so close that I could smell his rank breath and see every little fleck of red fear in his eyes. It was exhilarating. Here, in front of me, was the "King of Volterra," the self proclaimed ruler of all vampires, and I was a human—an infidel in his eyes; inferior in all ways—and I had him held up against the wall, reduced to a stuttering, fearful mess.

It was awesome.

"It feels…" Aro began, as he thrashed even harder against the invisible, unbreakable restraints that were holding him in place.

"Yes?" I pressed, wanting to hear the words.

Suddenly the thrashing stopped and he hung limply against the wall, his feet a good two feet off of the ground, and his papery chin against his chest. "It feels demeaning and frustrating." He conceded.

Inside, I was cheering with my victory, but on the outside, I kept up the pissed off expression. "And…?" I pushed him for more, wondering how much I could get out of him before he would snap.

"And, what?" He asked, his eyes meeting mine.

"Why do you feel frustrated?" I taunted knowing that he knew wanted.

"Because… because I feel powerless. Alright, are you happy?" He sighed exasperatedly, his eyes flashing with his previous anger but he didn't dare contest me right now. Not while I had the upper hand.

"Very." I answered before taking a few steps away from him and smiling slightly as I released him from the confines of my shield.

He rubbed his throat unnecessarily as shot me a glare.

"How dare you contest my authority?" Aro sneered, his mojo suddenly reappearing.

"I told you not to push me but you didn't listen. That was merely you suffering the consequences of your own thick headedness. Next time maybe you will actually heed my warnings and either steer clear of me or be sensible enough to lay off and know when you have gone too far." I sighed as I answered him coolly. "You never know when I will completely snap and you will end up dead."

"I am already dead, mi amour." He smiled a twistedly wicked smile.

"Clever, really clever. Any other obvious things you wish to point out or are you going to stop wasting my time and leave me the hell alone?" I smiled slightly but my eyes remained hard.

"You will regret that you ever crossed me Miss Swan." He yelled trying to sound intimidating but failing miserably.

"You will regret that you ever forced me to come here." I yelled right back. "But let's stop with the petty threats and just take care of this the way it should be taken care of."

"And how do you propose we do that?" He sneered at me.

"Well, Aro, how about we fi…" Edward cut me off.

"You will not fight him!" He cried exasperated as he appeared at my side having almost thrown the Hummer's door off of its hinges in his haste to get to me.

"But I want to." I whined in a very immature way. Why couldn't he let me take care of this the way I wanted to? I wasn't that fragile little teenager any more. I was a capable woman now that needed to take care of her own problems.

"I-I can't watch you fight him, Bella. It would be too hard." He sighed, his expression pained.

I glanced to my side, expecting to see a questioning Aro, wondering why I was talking to Edward again, since he didn't know that we had made up, but all I saw was empty space.

Aro had run away.

"What a coward!" I laughed, momentarily forgetting about Edward's previous dilemma. "I cannot believe that the old bastard ran away!"

Emmett laughed as he crawled out of the Hummer, the rest of the Cullens following.

"I always suspected him to be a pussy in disguise. But, dude, you should have seen his expression before he split. It was priceless!" He howled with laughter.

"Umm… thanks?" I said but it came out as a question.

"If I was him, I would have been very scared of you right then, Bella." Jasper chuckled. "I now know not to piss you off. Human or not, you could still kick my ass if you wanted to."

"Yeah, I probably could." I smiled slightly, rubbing my left forearm with my right hand in a nervous habit of mine.

"I still cannot believe that you almost kicked Aro's old, wrinkly butt!" Rosalie cheered me on with a huge shit-eating grin on her gorgeous face.

"Now I am feeling bad about it!" I cried, exasperated. I was definitely PMSing with these mood swings I was experiencing. Where did I leave that box of tampons? I think that they were still in the back of my Enzo. I would need to go grab those.

"You feel bad? Dear God, woman, your conscious has terrible timing." Rose cried, rolling her eyes at me.

"I mean, everything has been so messed up between Aro and I with all of these arguments we have been having so it is time that I made things right for the first time, since the last time and let this moment of clarity that I am feeling, lift this curse that has been cast upon me by whoever decided that I would be a hot-head and loose my temper quickly." I explained. I couldn't go around fighting Aro for the rest of my stay here. It would not be enjoyable.

"She has a point." Carlisle interjected.

In a moment of extreme immaturity, I stuck my tongue out at Rosalie, causing Emmett, Alice and Edward to chuckle at my antics.

"Aro will not give up at this. His dignity has been wounded, and he will not tolerate that. He isn't one to be shown up by someone." Carlisle explained.

"I agree. He is all about his self-image." I said with a dry, humorless chuckle. "He is almost as vain as you Rose."

"Hey!" Rosalie cried.

"Sorry, babe." Emmett laughed. "But it is true and you know it so don't try to deny the fact that you care about your self image."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Rose huffed, her full lips pursed in a pout.

"I don't think so. I think it is sexy that you care so much about your self-image. If you didn't, then…" Emmett leaned into Rose's ear and his voice became lower, to the point where I couldn't hear it.

But it was painfully obvious from the different expressions of disgust that the rest of the Cullen clan could certainly hear the words that they were exchanging.

And it didn't look like anything I would ever care to hear.

Emmett must have whispered something particularly raunchy because Esme became flustered and shouted a strict, forceful, "Children!" at Emmett and Rosalie's somewhat private conversation.

"Sorry mom." They both apologized at the same time. However, neither of them looked the least bit sorry.

"Anyways…" Carlisle shot a pointed look at Emmett. "This is definitely not the end of this little problem with Aro. Because of the actions that Bella took today, I have a feeling that any form of action Aro takes towards us now will not be kind or light. I don't know the extent to which he will retaliate but we will need to be on our toes."

I nodded my head in agreement, reaching out to grab Edward's hand and squeezing it to try to comfort him because his eyes had gone black.

"It will be fine." I whispered even though even though everyone could hear us. It just felt more intimate and more comforting to whisper.

"Bella! How can you say that?" Edward yelled, his black eyes darting down to my own brown eyes.

"What?" I asked, not getting what was wrong with me comforting him. If he didn't appreciate my efforts, then why the hell should I try again?

Unthankful vampire…

"Alice just had a vision of you dying. Then you completely piss off Aro—right now he is thinking about either changing you by force or not letting you leave Volterra until you are of no more use to them and then disposing," we all flinched at that word, "of you in any way necessary, and you are trying to comfort me?!" Edward explained as he searched through the haughty thoughts of Aro and his disgusting mind.

"We can figure out a way around this. I know we can. Just trust me, Edward." I pleaded, as I looked into his eyes, begging him not to pull any of his typical Edward moments and do anything rash or outlandish.

"Alright." Edward conceded easily. I suspected that Carlisle or Esme must have told him that it was in his best interest to listen to me and not put up a fight.

Or maybe he was just scared.

"Bella, I think that this has gone on for too long. We need to get out of Volterra ASAP and you _are_ coming with us. I will not take no for an answer, it is not safe for you here anymore." Carlisle told me in a stern voice.

"What makes you think that I would say no to begin with?" I teased. "Hell, I probably would have followed you if you had left without me! I would have shown up on your doorstep a few days after you got home or something equally stalker-like as that."

"I am going to start planning your room as soon as we get out of here!" Esme cried, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves." I chuckled. "We need to figure out how to get out of here first."

"How do we do that? They are going to have us pretty much on lockdown and not let us out of their sights." Emmett pointed out.

"Well, you do have a psychic on your side." Alice winked at him, tapping her temple.

"And a mind reader, too." Edward chimed in, not wanting to be forgotten.

"I can control emotions. That has to count for something, right?" Jasper added a small smirk on his lips.

"I can kick anyone within a fifty foot radius' ass!" I smiled, shooting everyone a thumb's up.

"That is all fantastic and everything however, if we are going to pull off a good plan, we are all going to need to know everything we can about the Volturi as possible." Carlisle thought carefully. "You will all need to understand where the Volturi come from—their history—and play off any weaknesses you can find. That will be the key to getting out of here."

I nodded in agreement. "I will add in all I know about them too if you don't cover it." I added.

"Thank you Bella." Carlisle smiled.

"Now when the Volturi first began…"

* * *

A/N: Quote Hunt!!!

It is from the Ataris! And I think that it is fairly obvious, if I do say so myself. I mean, the lines rhyme for heaven's sake!

Anyways, you guys, I am becoming sort of a review whore and I really want to really want to reach 1000 reviews by the time chapter 25 rolls around. So, I figured that if I can get at least 58 reviews for each of the next 4 chapters, I will reach 1000! I know you can do it!! I got 68 for the last chapter!

Oh, and your review inspiration is Rosalie bent over, working under the hood of her car while Emmett watches with a lustful look on his face. (You know you like it!)

I am sorry that this is a short chapter, but I needed to get it out of the way before we get into other things. Next chapter will be the Voltouri's past with my own Chey twist on it. =) It should be very interesting.

As always, lots of thanks go out to my Beta, Portland Writer. She is da-bomb. (Sorry, I had to put that.)

Much love to every one of you,

Chey

P.S.: You can still ask me questions. That wasn't a one chapter thing. Anything you wish to ask, I will answer.


	23. The Mongol of my Heart

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own a stuffed animal Eeyore that sings.

A/N: THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE POSTED SUNDAY NIGHT! But Fan Fiction freaked out on me and wouldn't let me log in. Sorry. Did anyone else have major problems too?

Anyways, so I think that I over did the whole sensory thing last chapter. I went back and re-read it after the reviews started coming in and I kept thinking, "My God! What was I thinking when I typed this?" So, I am sorry that I completely drowned you in sensory techniques. I will definitely try to tone it down this chapter. Mr. Montgomery hopefully doesn't read fan fictions.

Alright… that is all I have to say for now. I think this was my shortest Author's Note ever. So, enjoy the chapter, the drama should start up in the next chapter.

Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE!!!

* * *

"I close both locks below the window.  
I close both blinds and turn away.  
Sometimes solutions aren't so simple.  
Sometimes goodbye's the only way.

The sun will set for you.  
And the shadow of the day,  
Will embrace the world in grey,  
And the sun will set for you."

--"Shadow of the Day" by Linkin Park

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One

EPOV

(This will be Edward's POV of the fight

and then the Volturi's history.

So, sorry if it repeats at the beginning.)

I could see Bella nervously glance into the rearview mirror as she took her time scanning the back of the Hummer, assessing the state that all of us were in. I could see the worry and fear that was painted on her face but I had a feeling that none of the fear was for herself, but instead, for the rest of us.

_Typical Bella_, I chuckled humorlessly internally.

I caught her eye and she shot me a small smile as if to say "It will be alright." I returned her smile with my own small one before a stray thought caught my attention, bringing my attention back to the ancient vampire who was the current object of our worries.

_Bella will be mine forever, whether she wants to come to terms with it or not. It will happen._Aro's sick thoughts swirled around my head in a dizzying twister of horrific images of people who had defied him in the past and what they had amounted to.

I wanted, more than anything, to be able to block the torrid current of thoughts that were being spewed at me. However, I knew that if I wanted to keep Bella and my family safe that I would have to endure the torture of his mind.

It was a task that I would, in no way, enjoy.

_Why can't we just kill him now? He doesn't look like he would be much of a challenge. That papery skin of his would probably snap under my grasp._Emmett's thoughts floated into my mind. He was picturing himself lightly tapping a piss-scared Aro's arm and it breaking off as though it was a brittle twig.

I had to agree with Emmett on that one thing though: why couldn't we just kill Aro and be done with it? It certainly didn't look too hard. It shouldn't take us but a minute at most to do.

I had just made up my mind to kill the old bastard when Alice's thoughts screamed out to me.

_Don't do it Edward!_, she warned as she showed me a vision of what would happen if I was to kill Aro and then steal Bella away from the Volturi.

The vision painted a clouded picture of what I could only assume to be a forest. I could barely see the lush green vegetation through the thick, billowing smoke that shrouded the entire scene as though it was a comforter tucked tightly around someone, snuffing out their only source of oxygen.

The vision panned over the scene, showing every detail of the surrounding forest—still under the suffocating cover of the smoke—until it focused on the very source of the smoke.

There, sitting in six neat little piles were every member of my family, minus Carlisle and Bella, all burning to a blackened crisp. It was a grueling, upsetting sight to say the least. I could see Bella and Carlisle off to the side, talking with Caius. Well, Carlisle was more begging for something and Bella was obviously in pain as she thrashed against the constricting arms of the hooded vampire behind her. Tears brimmed over her swollen eyes and dashed down her blotchy cheeks as she screamed unintelligibly at everyone around her.

It broke my heart to see her like that, having to watch my family and I die. I quickly changed my mind, and decided against killing Aro. It wasn't worth risking everyone's safety like that.

I pulled out of Alice's head, shuddering, and caught the tail end of Bella's heated argument with Aro. She seemed to be trying to keep her cool, but it wasn't working; her control was quickly slipping and from what she told me, that would not be safe.

I sent a panicked glance towards Jasper in hopes that he would be able to calm Bella before things got out of hand.

_It isn't working! Her shield must already be going up._ Jasper thought to me as he tried to push some calming waves onto Bella's tense form but her body kept rejecting his attempts as her anger flared up even more.

"…recent events have proven, you are not strong enough to even hold a proper shield, let alone kill me, hormones and anger be damned." Aro's nasally voice taunted my Bella and her gift.

How dare he talk to her like that? She was so much better then him: physically, mentally, emotionally… in every single aspect of life, Bella was better. She didn't deserve to be teased and goaded on by this worthless asshole in front of us.

_What power does he have over her that would cause her to not retaliate? I would have already kicked his ass if it was me on the receiving end of his words._Rosalie's thoughts screeched out, reverberating throughout my head.

But just as she thought those words, Bella's door was flung open and Bella was out of the Hummer faster than I have ever seen her move in her life.

I tensed up, prepared to grab her and stop her from doing something unwise but Alice laid a hand on my forearm and pushed me back into my seat.

"Just wait." She whispered as she turned her attention back to Bella.

I watched, on the edge of my seat, as my Bella pulled her right arm back and thrust it towards Aro's bewildered form as though she was throwing something at him; and technically she was throwing something at him: her shield.

Aro's small body was sent flying backwards though the air and into the hard cement of the parking garage's walls. His thoughts were a confused, shocked jumble, hardly understandable even to me.

"How does it feel to be on the receiving end of my power, for once Aro?" Bella all but growled at the old, power hungry vampire that was currently loosing to a human.

I felt smug at the thought of Bella, kicking his butt. But as soon as the thought entered my mind, I panicked.

I would intervene before Bella would have to hurt someone. I wouldn't want to risk her safety.

Aro's thoughts were a mess.

_I knew I shouldn't have pushed her. I swear that I don't know what comes over me sometimes… but look at her holding that shield. So much power in such a small human; I wonder how she will be when she is changed, finally…_ Aro's obnoxiously persistent thoughts switched back and forth between fear and his normal power-hungry tirades.

It was getting a little redundant but I listened, keeping an ear out for any potential danger that could come of this.

I knew that it was imperative that I keep this family safe. If Aro were to discover any of our talents, I have no doubt in my spacious mind that he would torture us and push us to our limits until we agreed to join his ranks.

He was able to con Bella into joining him, so he would be able to find some way for us to agree, too.

"Answer me!" Bella yelled, pulling me out of my darkening thoughts.

"Wh-what-t?" Aro was a stuttering mess. He was still hopelessly thrashing against the invisible restraints that held him captive above the ground. If he were human, he would have chocked to death by now.

"How does it feel to be powerless? To be beaten out by a simple minded, weak, _human_?" Bella got right in his face—but not close enough for Aro's deadly teeth to get her—and yelled, letting go of all of her pent up anger.

Aro stopped his pointless thrashing, answering Bella, letting her know that it was demeaning to be in the position that he was in.

I could tell that Bella was feeling victorious, even though she had, some how, managed to compose her face enough to keep the tough exterior in place. But I knew Bella well enough to recognize the spark in her eyes that showed up as soon as Aro admitted his defeat.

But Bella didn't stop there. She must have been determined to embarrass Aro is every way possible and completely strip him of his pride.

And I didn't blame her in the least.

From what I knew, he had pretty much screwed Bella over by making her fake her death, taking her away from her friends—no matter how vile they were, the wolves were still her friends—and everything she knew.

I would have killed Aro by now if it was me. But then again, Bella is a million times better than I will ever be.

"Why do you feel frustrated?" I listened as Bella kept digging for something else from Aro.

From Aro's thoughts, he knew exactly what she wanted to hear. He just really didn't want to voice it.

A smug smirk graced my features as Aro's head dropped down in surrender and spoke the words Bella wanted to hear.

"Because… because I feel powerless. Alright, are you happy?" He sighed exasperatedly, his eyes flashing with his previous anger but I knew that Aro would not lay a hand on Bella; at least not while she was generating a lethal shield and could take him down in a moment's notice.

"Very." Bella simply stated before she released Aro from the confines of her shield and took a few careful steps back, putting a some-what safe distance between herself and Aro's body.

_Drama Queen,_ Emmett thought as Aro rubbed a papery hand over his neck as though he had felt uncomfortable about being hung up on the wall and glared at Bella's calm appearance.

"How dare you contest my authority?" Aro sneered, his mojo suddenly reappearing.

"I told you not to push me but you didn't listen. That was merely you suffering the consequences of your own thick headedness. Next time maybe you will actually heed my warnings and either steer clear of me or be sensible enough to lay off and know when you have gone too far." Bella snapped at Aro, her anger resurfacing fast.

_Go Bella, put the old bastard in his place sweetie,_Esme's thoughts washed over me. I almost laughed at her. That was, honestly, the meanest thing that the woman had ever thought or said, ever.

I was amused.

"You never know when I will completely snap and you will end up dead." Bella concluded her little rant with a huff and I wanted to go pull her into a hug and kiss her scowl away but I was going to let her deal with this on her own.

"I am already dead, mi amour." Aro smiled a twistedly wicked smile.

"Clever, really clever. Any other obvious things you wish to point out or are you going to stop wasting my time and leave me the hell alone?" Bella said in a bored tone as she took another step away, putting more distance between her and Aro.

"You will regret that you ever crossed me Miss Swan." He yelled trying to sound intimidating but failing miserably. His thoughts were going a thousand miles a minute.

It was almost too fast for me to keep up with, and I was a vampire. That is saying something.

"You will regret that you ever forced me to come here. But let's stop with the petty threats and just take care of this the way it should be taken care of." Bella threatened.

And just like that, the situation went down hill.

"Go Edward!" Alice said as I catapulted myself over the seats and out of the open driver's door right as Bella was about to suggest to Aro that they fight but I cut her off before the word left her lips.

_Thank God,_ Alice sighed as she ushered everyone out of the Hummer.

"You will not fight him!" I yelled at Bella. Did she honestly think that I was just going sit there and allow her to have some type of "fight-club" reenactment with Aro.

When Bella protested my intervention but I would have none of it. I would not watch her fight unless it was unavoidable.

"I-I can't watch you fight him, Bella. It would be too hard." I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

I scanned, quickly, for Aro's thoughts realizing that we were royally screwed because if he hadn't known before about Bella being on friendly terms with my family and me, he certainly did now.

But as I searched for his thoughts, I found that he was a good ways away and still running.

Pussy.

"What a coward!" Bella laughed, her shoulders shaking from her laughter. "I cannot believe that the old bastard ran away!"

"I always suspected him to be a pussy in disguise. But, dude, you should have seen his expression before he split. It was priceless!" Emmett howled with laughter, his thoughts an echo of what he was saying.

"Umm… thanks?" Bella said shyly, as she toed the ground.

"If I was him, I would have been very scared of you right then, Bella." Jasper chuckled. "I now know not to piss you off. Human or not, you could still kick my ass if you wanted to."

"Yeah, I probably could." Bella smiled as I walked back towards her, wanting nothing more than to pull her small body into my arms.

I carefully scanned Aro's thoughts as he paced around his office, trying to figure out what to do about Bella. And the fact that I had jumped in to help her had not gone unnoticed by him. He was trying to think of ways to use us as leverage to get what he wanted from Bella.

"She has a point." Carlisle interjected, bringing me back to the conversation that was flowing around me.

Bella stuck her cute little tongue out at my siblings and I chuckled, pulling her to me.

"Aro will not give up at this. His dignity has been wounded, and he will not tolerate that. He isn't one to be shown up by someone." Carlisle explained his thoughts were worried for all of our well-being.

"I agree. He is all about his self-image." Bella gave a hard little chuckle and ran a hand through her unruly hair. "He is almost as vain as you Rose."

"Hey!" Rosalie cried even though she knew that she was indeed vain.

"Sorry, babe." Emmett laughed. "But it is true and you know it so don't try to deny the fact that you care about your self image."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Rose huffed.

_Emmett always admired me for taking care of myself._Rose's thoughts reached me.

"I don't think so. I think it is sexy that you care so much about your self-image. If you didn't, then…" Emmett leaned into Rose's ear and lowered his voice. From the look on Bella's face, she couldn't hear what she was saying but the rest of us could.

Not to mention I could also see the pictures in their head as the lewd thoughts traveled though their minds.

Sometimes I hated my talent.

When Emmett started going into detail about an encounter he and Rose had apparently had while in the shower this morning, Esme shouted a shocked "Children!" at the two, appalled by their antics.

"Sorry mom." They both apologized at the same time. However, their thoughts were centered on a repeat performance tonight.

Sex addicts.

If I ever actually lose my virginity, I seriously hope that my every thought does not become centered around the activities of the bedroom. I would like to think of myself as more of a gentleman than that.

However… no one would know what I was thinking…

"Anyways…" Carlisle tried to get us back on topic, dragging me away from my thoughts.

"This is definitely not the end of this little problem with Aro. Because of the actions that Bella took today, I have a feeling that any form of action Aro takes towards us now will not be kind or light. I don't know the extent to which he will retaliate but we will need to be on our toes."

Bella grabbed my hand and gave it a light squeeze as I reveled in the warmth the contact sent through my stone cold body.

"It will be fine." She whispered in an attempt to comfort me from the craziness of the whole situation. It was sweet of her but I couldn't understand why she was trying to comfort me. She was in danger and here she was trying to comfort me!

"Bella! How can you say that?" I yelled, appalled that she would waste her energy on me. No matter how many times she said that it would be okay, I knew that my family and I would not be able to make it out of Volterra, with Bella, unscathed.

We would lose something.

That was inevitable.

"What?" She asked as though she didn't understand the reason for my actions.

"Alice just had a vision of you dying. Then you completely piss off Aro—right now he is thinking about either changing you by force or not letting you leave Volterra until you are of no more use to them and then disposing," we all flinched at that word, "of you in any way necessary, and you are trying to comfort me?!" I tried to make her see the sense of my words but she didn't seem to care too much.

"We can figure out a way around this. I know we can. Just trust me, Edward." Bella tried to convince me of this outlandish point. But I didn't want to fight the topic anymore so I gave in for now.

Not to mention the fact that Esme was scolding me, mentally, for loosing my temper with Bella.

"Bella, I think that this has gone on for too long. We need to get out of Volterra ASAP and you _are_ coming with us. I will not take no for an answer, it is not safe for you here anymore." Carlisle informed Bella.

It was uncharacteristic of him to take on this stern, commanding tone but I understood why he was doing it.

Bella obviously wasn't going to listen to reason and intentionally put us in danger so talking to her with a firm tone was our only option to get through to her.

"What makes you think that I would say no to begin with? Hell, I probably would have followed you if you had left without me! I would have shown up on your doorstep a few days after you got home or something equally stalker-like as that." Bella joked but I knew that she was serious.

It comforted me to know that she wasn't planning on letting us go. And I took comfort in the fact that she really did want me.

All of me.

Crazy family and all.

"I am going to start planning your room as soon as we get out of here!" Esme smiled as she hugged Bella, her mind already having picked out the other room that occupied the third floor of our house.

_Maybe I can knock out the wall that is between that room and Edward's room. He could put a piano up there and we could expand the bathroom! Maybe even a fireplace… how romantic!_Esme's thoughts raced over the design she was forming in her head.

While it was extravagant, I liked it.

The thought of having Bella in the same room as me brought back past memories of us snuggled together in her small bed back in Forks. Except this time, we wouldn't have to be quiet in fear that Charlie would hear.

It would be Heaven.

"Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves." Bella laughed her whimsical laugh as she took in Esme's excited expression. "We need to figure out how to get out of here first."

"How do we do that? They are going to have us pretty much on lockdown and not let us out of their sights." Emmett pointed out.

"Well, you do have a psychic on your side." Alice winked at him, tapping her temple.

"And a mind reader, too." I added, reminding them that I was keeping an ear out for anything that might help us get out of this sticky situation.

"I can control emotions. That has to count for something, right?" Jasper added, not wanting his ability to be forgotten.

"I can kick anyone within a fifty foot radius' ass!" Bella gave us all a thumb's up and smiled a wicked little smile.

"That is all fantastic and everything however, if we are going to pull off a good plan, we are all going to need to know everything we can about the Volturi as possible. You will all need to understand where the Volturi come from—their history—and play off any weaknesses you can find. That will be the key to getting out of here." Carlisle made a good point.

I guess we were going to get a little history lesson.

Bella nodded before adding, "I will add in all I know about them too if you don't cover it." I added.

"Thank you Bella." Carlisle smiled.

"Now when the Volturi first began they were just a small group of humans with big plans for themselves. They had planned on total domination of the world—which at that time did not include the Americas seeing as they hadn't been discovered yet. Their target area was the Byzantine Empire, the severely weakened Roman Empire and most of the area of Western Europe and Carthage in northern Africa.

"Now back then if you were to control that much of Europe, essentially, you would be able to control every part of the world. You would have access to all of the major trading spots and you would be at the center of everything. And that is what Aro and Marcus strived for." Carlisle explained as his thoughts swirled through the story he had been told so many years ago.

"But they had just taken the Byzantine Empire by raiding Constantinople when the Mongols attacked. One of Aro's concubines—who rumored to have hated him with a passion—had gone and told the Genghis Kahn how to get past the seemingly impenetrable walls of Constantinople. Soon, the city's walls were breached and the castle was under siege, soon falling to the Mongols.

"This led to Aro's change. Essentially, Aro lost his soul to a woman so heartless that she turned in her own lover. When, in all truth, she could have just as easily walked away and never came back. They couldn't track people like we can. But she was out for blood.

"Now when the castle was finally taken, Aro and Marcus were taken to the nearest Mongol camp where they bartered for their lives. The Mongols didn't like their weakness and beat them ruthlessly—almost to the point of death—and then left them there." Carlisle was building up to the main part of the story and I could tell that he was getting excited. He loved telling stories.

"Where was Caius?" Alice asked, not looking into the future but instead living in the present—for once.

"Give me a minute. We will get there." Carlisle smiled before continuing.

"That night, a fellow from the Mongol's ranks came back to them. They had thought that he had come to finish them but, instead, the man bent down and spoke to them, his voice was strangely smooth considering he was a rough and tough Mongol and all. He told them that he could make them live forever so that they could continue their conquest for domination.

"Of course Aro readily agreed, telling him to do whatever it took to give them that gift of immortality. The stranger said that he would do this under one condition. And the condition was that he was allowed to join them. The stranger was Caius. When Aro agreed to his terms, Caius promptly bit both him and Marcus and changed them: thus beginning the rein of the Volturi."

"Caius was a Mongol?" Emmett laughed. "Sweet."

I rolled my eyes and asked Carlisle to continue.

"Well, of course it took a good many years, nearly a century, for Aro and Marcus to get a good control of their thirst. During that time of isolation, the world changed and they didn't know it. Humans had become more powerful, intelligent and technology savvy. Now while they had no chance against the vampires, it was still a problem. So, in lieu of world domination as they had wanted before, they decided to control the entire vampire world. It would be significantly easier considering no one had claimed rule, so all they had to do was set up some laws, find a place to reside that would be inconspicuous yet easy to rule from.

"They looked all over for thirty five years before they found a castle in Italy that would fit their needs perfectly. They easily took the palace and named the town around it Volterra and they became the Volturi." Carlisle paused, taking a moment for us all to absorb this part of the story.

"I'll take it from here, if you don't mind, Carlisle. I know this part of their history really well, considering Aro made me read volumes of books over it." Bella spoke up from her spot on the ground where she had sat down at.

"Of course, be my guest." Carlisle let her continue the story.

"Well," Bella began as she fiddled with the laces on her shoes. "Once the Volturi secured Volterra as theirs, they started rallying people to join them, trying to ensure their power. They were first able to find the twins, Alec and Jane, who were newborns at the time. They slowly built up their forces until their coven's power and size was formidable; far surpassing any other coven in the world.

"Their size and power was soon known by just about every vampire in the world, and they were feared; which was, unfortunately, exactly what they had been aiming to have happen since the beginning. They used their power to take down any coven that contested them and ensure their rule. The only coven that was ever a challenge was the Romanians but so far a fight hasn't broken out yet." Bella laughed.

"Honestly," She said. "If given the choice, I would side with the Romanians. They are a pair of firecrackers! They are so much fun to be around." She smiled.

"I have never had the pleasure of meeting them." Carlisle said. (A/N: I know that Carlisle does know them, but this is Fan Fiction, and I don't want him to know the Romanians. Live with it.)

"If I ever call them up, I will be sure to introduce you to them. You could probably learn a lot from them about history and such." Bella smiled.

"Anyways…?" Jasper pushed, eager to hear the rest.

"Yes, anyways, the Volturi achieved domination of all vampires within eighty years of first taking Volterra. They quickly instilled their laws and slowly gained more and more members to their guard." Bella looked up at us. "That is pretty much all the important facts about the Volturi. I can give you more details if needed but I think that we covered all the bases."

"That is about everything I know, too, and more." Carlisle added, running over a few new details about the Volturi that Bella had told him. He was intensely curious in these Romanians that Bella seemed so fond of.

"So, now all we have to do is plan?" Emmett asked his mind was solely focused of sitting on Aro, crushing him.

"All we do is plan." I agreed.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so the Quote Hunt is a song by Kanye West from his "808's and Heartbreaks" album.

Okay, I have something to bring up with you guys and I would like your input. Alright, so if I continue to write chapters that are this long, you won't get very fast updates because my life is super busy. But, I can start writing shorter chapters (same stuff and everything) but it will take less time to update. So, let me know what you want. Whichever option seems more popular will be the one I do.

And, how do you like my Chey-Twist on the history of our favorite evil vampires? It kind of made sense to me to have Caius be a ruthless, blood-thirsty Mongol. They were, after all, the most successful conquerors of the classical world.


	24. Fate is Calling, Will I Answer?

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own an addiction to Cobra Starship.

A/N: I only got 44 reviews last chapter… do you know how depressing that is? I wanted 51! You guys… come on! I know almost 1,500 people read that chapter. Oh, well. If you want the next chapter in a week (instead of two weeks) I want to get 53 reviews for this chapter! YOU CAN DO IT! Make Chey happy.

;)

Now, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER TWENTY TWO!!!

* * *

"The city is at war, playtime for the young and rich.  
Ignore me if you see me, because I just don't give a shit.  
The city is at war; bless the young and rich,  
with designer drugs and designer friends."

"The City Is At War" By Cobra Starship

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two

BPOV

Once Carlisle and I had dished out the watered down—and I mean seriously watered down—version of the Volturi history, Emmett and Edward both declared that we needed a plan.

Had they not been saying that exact same thing for the past few days?

Yes they had.

And, apparently, I still have yet to hear about this plan. It must have been one hell of a plan since I was even left in the dark about it.

I briefly wondered if they would let me know about this supposed 'plan' but my thoughts were interrupted by Alice saying:

"Yeah, a plan would be nice, boys. Too bad we don't have one."

So they didn't have a plan? Well, what the hell were they going to accomplish without one?

"Well, that is why we are here. We need to think of one." Emmett pointed out.

I wondered, for a moment, if we really needed a plan. I mean, all this 'let's make a plan' business sounded like something a bunch of seven year olds on a playground would do. I half expected Emmett to pull my pigtails and run off.

It just seemed so immature.

"Do we really need a plan?" I asked them as I sat down on the cool concrete of the ground.

"Of course we need a plan, Bella. Why would you suggest otherwise?" Alice asked as she came to sit by me on the ground. I guess I wasn't the only one tired of standing.

"Well, a plan would take a lot of time to develop and it may not even work since it hinges on a lot of other things falling into place. And that isn't guaranteed to happen." I reasoned, trying to make them understand what a colossal waste of time a 'plan' would be.

"So you are saying that we should just sit here and do nothing?" Edward asked his voice strained.

"Yes…well, no, not exactly." I answered as I reached over and rubbed my hand over his calf muscles, feeling it jump under my touch. I scooted myself closer to Edward's leg and rested my head on the side of his knee and continued massaging the tense muscles of his leg.

"What do you mean 'not exactly?" Edward asked, looking down at me.

"Well, I figured that maybe we could just look for an opening and when one presents itself, take it. It has to be a lot easier than waiting for the 'perfect opportunity' that may never happen, to put a plan into motion." I sighed as drug my hand down his jean-clad calf to the laces of his black and silver Nike tennis shoes.

"So we are just going to sit here, like ducks, and wait for something to come along?" Edward tried, his brow crinkling in confusion.

"Pretty much." I am answered him, getting a little annoyed that he wasn't understanding what I was trying to convey to him.

"Actually, it makes sense." Jasper said as he slipped into his tactical "Military-Officer-Man-Sir!" mode.

"How does that make sense Jasper?" Edward cried a bit dramatically. "Please, enlighten me since you seem to know."

"Well, Bella is right when she says that a plan hinges on so many different things falling into place at the right time. There is no guarantee that anything will happen, even with a psychic on our side it would be extremely difficult to pull off." Jasper said as he walked around a little before leaning up against the Hummer's driver's side door.

"So you think we should wait for an opening?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, I think that would be for the best. It is more likely to happen anyways." He agreed, running a hand through his thick blonde hair a hint of a smile gracing his lips. In that moment, I could see what I had never seen in Jasper before.

I could see the good old southern boy just trying to do him mom proud by joining the Confederacy. I could see the solider in him, fighting every day just to survive and be able to go home.

Most of all, I could see Jasper.

It felt like an eye opening experience, and I wasn't quite sure what made me see all of these things but it made me feel close to Jasper like I had never been able to be before due to his bloodlust.

I smiled at the battle-scarred vampire before me, wondering where all of his scars had come from. (A/N: Keep in mind that Eclipse never happened in this story because Edward never came back in New Moon. Thank you.)

"Alice?" Jasper asked, drawing me out of my realizations. "Can you see anything?"

"Nothing out of the usual." She answered. "I still see Bella dying but other than that, nothing has changed."

"I had forgotten about that vision." I confessed as all of the mornings thoughts about the fact that I was close to death came crashing back down on me.

"How could you forget about that?" Rosalie asked incredulously.

"I just did. I don't know why, but I guess I had more important things to worry about." I answered.

"More important that the fact that you might die in the near future?!" She said as she looked at me with wide eyes.

"Over the years I have learned how to effectively block out the unpleasant things. I guess it is so second nature that I can't control it." I pursed my lips and stood up from the ground, dusting off the back of my pants.

"I wish I had that ability. I can't stop thinking about the bad things!" Emmett exclaimed. "Just ask Eddie here. He is always in my head anyways. It is just because he really likes what goes on in there."

"On the contrary, _Emmie_." Edward sneered. "I have no choice in the matter when it comes to whether or not I hear the repulsive workings of your mind. I can block out most people's thoughts because theirs are under control. You, however, have the tendency to scream all of your thoughts directly at me. So, believe me, brother dear, I do not like what goes on in your head."

"Children." Esme said firmly, walking towards the two brothers. "We have more important things to do than sit here and talk about whether or not Edward enjoys peeking into your head, Emmett."

"That isn't the only thing he enjoys peeking at…" Emmett snickered, earning him a smack from Rose, a growl from Edward, and laughter from Alice, Jasper and I.

"You are laughing at my expense, Bella?" Edward cried, looking down at me.

I kept on giggling.

"Bella! You are supposed to be on my side!" He said, as he took in my expression.

"Do you want to play _peek_-a-boo?" I managed to squeak out before I lost it, exploding into a fit of laughter.

I heard the rest of the Cullens laughing along with me as Edward stood there, fuming at the fact that we were laughing at him.

"Come on, Edward! Lighten up!" Emmett guffawed as he slapped Edward on the back.

"I think your perverted comments have infected Bella. She is becoming as bad as you." Edward sighed.

"No, I am like this because of Jacob and the pack. You wouldn't believe the comments that came out of their mouths." I chuckled, remembering all the times when Billy would smack one of the wolves for 'inappropriate behavior around women.'

"Well, they are dogs, did you expect anything less?" Rosalie commented.

"Hey! I happen to think of them as friends!" I said.

"Some friends…" I thought I hear Edward mutter but he quickly covered it up by changing the topic.

"Back to the point, are we seriously going to sit here and wait for this 'opening' that all of you seem to believe is going to come?" Edward asked, dubiously, as he ran a hand through his tousled locks.

"It is the best option Edward." Carlisle tried to reason.

"I don't think so. Do I not have a say in the matter?" Edward complained as he reached out and pulled me to his chest.

"Yes you do, but you forget that you are outnumbered by the rest of us." Carlisle stated, smiling slightly at Edward's antics.

"How about we make a compromise?" I suggested knowing that he liked compromises.

"Alright, I am listening." He conceded.

"Well, you guys have a week left here, right?" I asked carefully.

"Five days." Alice corrected.

"Alright, five days will be our target goal for getting out of here, okay?" I asked Edward, making sure he was following everything I was saying.

"That sounds nice, but the sooner the better, I would like to think." Edward said as he brushed his lips over my forehead.

"Well, how about we wait to see if we find an opening for… four days. And if nothing has presented itself by the time day four rolls around, then we will have a back up plan to use, just incase." I thought through my suggestion again and it seemed pretty reasonable to me.

"Two days." Edward bargained, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Three days, final offer." I offered, not willing to go any lower than that.

"Deal."

"Thank you." I smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.

"Is everyone else okay with that?" I asked, suddenly remembering that Edward and I weren't the only ones that had something to do with this agreement.

"That sounds fine, Bella." Esme answered with a smile on her face as she watched Edward continue placing kisses on my cheek and the side my head.

"Great!" I smiled, happy that I could appease everyone with my compromise.

"Now let's go inside." Alice suggested. "I am tired of standing in the garage when I could be trying on all of my new clothes."

I laughed at her as she ran over to the Hummer and threw open the trunk door, packages and parcels spilling out onto the cement.

The Cullens walked over and they each grabbed at least ten heavy bags in each had and started carrying them inside.

"I wish I could do that without sucking the strength and energy out of people." I complained as the effortlessly carried the bags.

"It is because you are a silly human!" Emmett called out to me, making a rude face.

"Being human is so lame." I complained as I watched the Cullen's continue to easily lift the shopping bags from the back of the Hummer.

"I know." Edward smiled. "But you wear it so well." He sighed as he leaned in and brushed his lips lightly against my pulse point causing my breath to hitch slightly before he pulled away and followed his family inside.

I pulled the keys to the Hummer out of the ignition and put it into park before I followed them inside.

As I passed the counter, Gianna glared at me—I guess she hadn't gotten over the other night—as I tossed the keys at her head, making sure to just barely miss.

When I got up to Carlisle and Esme's room, everyone was there watching as Alice dug through the bags, sorting them into piles based on who they belonged to.

There were a few small piles that didn't have much in it, two medium sized piles and one huge pile of clothes that was positively overflowing the recliner that everything was piled on.

"Bella," Alice called to me as she stuck her head into a large black Sephora bag.

"Yeah, Alice?" I was almost afraid of what was going to come out of her mouth.

"The pile on the recliner is yours. You might want to find somewhere to put it before I add more to it." She said as she resurfaced from the bag, a bottle of "Vamp" by Chanel nail polish in her hand. (A/N: Best nail polish ever!)

"Alice! I don't need all of those clothes! I have plenty already!" I cried as Rosalie laughed at me.

"Bella, Bella, Bella, Alice is simply making up for lost time. After all, it has been five years. So, if I were you, I would be glad that she didn't, flat out, buy everything in the mall, whether it was your size or not." Rosalie explained as she grabbed an armload of my clothes and looked over at me. "Where to?"

I sighed and shook my head slightly, before I grabbed another piled of my clothes and lead Rosalie to my room.

"You can just dump them in there." I said as I jerked my chin toward the closet door to my right. I quickly dumped my load of clothes into the floor just to the side of the closet and opened the door for Rosalie.

Once we had shoved everything into my closet—having gone back for three more loads each—we plopped down onto my bed and looked into my closet. It was quite ridiculous to see the enormous pile of clothes flooding the floor of my closet.

_No wonder Heidi has an entirely different room for her clothes, _I mused.

"You know," Rose began. "You really don't have too bad of a life here."

When I shot her a disbelieving look, she backtracked.

"I mean, evil vampires and zero freedom aside, you get a lot of things that you didn't have before." She pointed out.

"I know." I sighed. "But I don't want any of these things without Edward or you guys to go with it. I mean, while getting all these things and not worrying about the price is nice, I would much rather have you guys and no financial security than financial security and none of you to share it with." I explained.

"But then we couldn't look good!" Rose sighed dramatically, but I could tell she was only kidding.

"Rosalie, you could make a garbage bag look like it just came off of the runway at Gucci's Fashion Week exposé." I giggled.

"True." She giggled with me.

I don't know what it was—maybe it was the fact that we were just sitting her laughing together—but I felt like we were having a 'sister' moment. And I liked the idea of that; Rosalie as my sister.

I wonder how opposed to the idea she was. I guess she would never, technically, be my sister unless Edward married me, but I didn't think that would really happen. I mean, the last time I brought up marriage—that first night he stayed with me—he has frozen and pretty much told me that it would be impossible for us to be that close.

I certainly hoped that things had changed and he would one day make me Mrs. Edward Masen Cullen so that I could make sure that he was mine and mine alone.

That would be my dream come true.

I sighed longingly and rolled over to look at Rosalie. "We should probably go back before Alice barges in here and hauls us out of here, cave-woman style."

"Yeah, I would not enjoy that. Plus, I am in a skirt." Rosalie pointed out as she gracefully rose up and extended a perfectly manicured hand to me.

I grasped her hand and let her pull me to my feet.

"Thanks." I said as I adjusted my shirt, pulling it down so that it no longer showed off my belly.

She simply nodded, and turned towards my door, walking out. I followed after her.

When we got back into Esme and Carlisle's room, they had magically managed to clear everything out and put them in the right rooms. They were all now lounging in the sitting room, watching Emmett and Jasper battle it out on Mario Kart.

And judging by the slew of cuss words flowing from Emmett's mouth, Jasper was wining.

"You mother fucking, pussy sucking, bastard!" Emmett swore as he threw down his controller, plopping down in the middle of the big sofa, a scowl on his face.

"Emmett McCarty Cullen you will not use that language around me!" Esme yelled at him, her motherly side taking over.

"Sorry, mom." He apologized quickly, his black eyes glaring at Jasper's smug expression.

Then I noticed something: everyone's eyes were bordering on black.

"When was the last time you guys hunted?" I asked, as I looked at every one of their eyes.

"I don't think we have hunted since we got here." Edward answered.

"We have." Carlisle said, gesturing to him and Esme. "But it was about 2 weeks ago. Why do you ask?"

"Simply because you might want to hunt now if you are going to be getting out of here in a few days and you are going to need all the strength you can get." I explained.

"While that is true, I am not sure how safe I feel leaving you here while we go hunt." Carlisle said.

"I will be just fine." I assured them. "I lived with these buffoons for a long while before you guys arrived and I am sure that I can protect myself again without your help."

"Are you sure, love?" Edward asked, his face a mask of worry.

"Of course I am. You are forgetting that I can easily hold my own against them. Plus, I am pretty sure Aro is still piss-scared of me right now, so he won't be bothering me." I smiled at him, walking over and sitting on his lap.

"We will wait till tonight to go then. I want to spend every waking minute with you that I can." Edward confessed as he nuzzled his nose into my hair.

"Awe… that is sweet." I smiled at him, his dark eyes sparkling back at me. I reached out and traced the dark circles that rimmed the bottom of his eyes. "But I think that you should go right now. You will be back by tonight and I will take a nap, get something to eat, and take a shower while you are gone. I have to do those things whether you are here or not, so just go now and I will see you later."

"If you insist." He conceded.

"I do." I smiled at him, leaning in to press a brief kiss against his marble smooth lips. "Now go take down a mountain lion for me."

"There aren't any mountain lions here, Bella." Emmett told me.

"How do you know?"

"Edward, here, checked before we came." Emmett laughed. "He complained about the lack of good hunting for a few days."

"Poor, Edward. I hope that you find something good to eat. Right now, I am going to go find myself something good to eat." I said as I stood up, bid them good-bye, and left the room.

I took my time going to the kitchen and eating my dinner. Glancing over at the stove, as I pulled my TV dinner out of the microwave, the clock told me that it was just a little bit after seven.

I even took my time showering, stopping to shave my legs from ankle to upper thigh, double-checking that I didn't miss any spots.

When I finally drug myself out of the heat of my shower and wrapped myself in a large, fluffy bathrobe, and ventured back into my room, there was a vampire with bright golden eyes, lying across my bed, waiting for me.

"That was fast." I commented as I walked into my closet to pull out my pajamas, sliding on a pair of purple and gold plaid, flannel pajama pants, white and purple striped toe socks, and a gold cotton camisole.

"Everyone else went a little farther out to get some of the better animals, so I decided that I would stay close, and settle for a few deer so that I could get back to you faster." Edward explained as he reached out from his spot on the bed and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me onto the bed next to him.

"I wish that we didn't have all of these problems that need fixing. I wish that it could just be you and me." Edward sighed.

I simply nodded my head against his chest, not wanting to talk.

"Even though we have all of these problems, I wouldn't trade them for the world if it meant I get to keep you. I am so glad we found each other again." I smiled as I felt Edward's head bob up and down in agreement with me.

"Did I ever tell you just how much you light up my life, simply by existing?" He cooed, nuzzling his cool nose into the suddenly overheated skin of my neck.

"I don't believe that you ever have." I told him, feeling a little selfish and wanting to know just how much I affected him.

"Well, I think the best way to explain it to you would be as a metaphor. You remember those overrated literary terms from Forks High right, love?" He chuckled, placing a light ghost of a kiss on my temple.

"How could I forget? That class was dreadful!" I exclaimed, giggling at the memory of the incompetent teacher.

"Shall I think up that metaphor for you? Or shall we sit here and reminisce about the lack of a quality education you were receiving?" Edward asked as he rolled me over so that I was no longer on my side, but, instead, propped up on my elbows on his marble chest.

"Metaphor me!" I giggled. "I would like to know what you would compare me to, figuratively speaking, of course."

"You, my love…are a," He paused, thinking of what to call me, "comet (A/N: I know that in New Moon, Edward compares her to a comet there, too, but I think it is excellent so I will reuse it.) that blazes a burning path across the vast horizon of my life. You made my previously dark soul that was significantly dimmed by the suffocating shroud of my sins, light up again and give it life… reason… a purpose! I never had a purpose before you were born, my love. I simply existed, waiting for your love and warmth to stumble along, in the way only you can do, and open me up to a new world of possibilities."

"That was sweet. Corny, but still sweet." I laughed, placing a small kiss on his lips. He really was perfect, even if he didn't believe it.

"So…" I ventured after a moment of silence. "I am a comet?"

"Yes." He confirmed, a very serious expression on his face. "Tell me, my comet, did you sail across the sun? Or did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded and find that heaven is overrated?"

"Or maybe I fell for a shooting star; one without any permanent scar or damage. One that is absolutely flawless and perfect in every way." I smiled up at him, hoping that he caught the fact that the shooting star was supposed to be him.

"A shooting star? More like a black hole, sucking everything around it, into its dark depths of nothingness." Edward said, letting his head fall back onto the pillow behind him.

"And you say that I don't see myself clearly." I muttered under my breath.

"You don't see yourself clearly." He informed me.

"I could say the same about you."

We sat there for a tense minute, staring into each other's eyes, until my body betrayed me and let out a yawn.

"Sleep, my Comet, my Bella. I love you." Edward chuckled at my large yawn, rolling over so that he could pull the covers up around my shoulders before he settled down next to me, on top of the covers so that I didn't freeze, and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Good night. I love you, too, Edward." I mumbled as sleep quickly overtook me.

I was dreaming; that much I knew.

But this dream was unwelcome and not at all a 'good dream.' It was definitely a nightmare.

I was standing in the white marble room Alice had described earlier, and everyone I loved was tethered together in front of me with guns pointed at my human friends and fire hovering dangerously close to my vampire friends and loved ones.

I screamed out to get their attention, but a large marble pillar crashed in front of me with a loud bang.

I awoke, shooting straight up in bed, expecting to be comforted by the cool arms that I was so accustomed to. But they never came to my rescue.

I glanced around, noticing that Edward was nowhere to be found. And it worried me.

A loud crashing noise—not unlike the one that I had heard in my dream—came from the floor right below my room. And, right then, I knew where this was going and how it would end.

Fate was calling and I was going to answer.

* * *

A/N: QUOTE HUNT: The song is by Train. Go! Find it! (I think that it is quite obvious.)

I would like to let everyone know that the next chapter is the BIG ONE that we have been building up to. So, strap yourselves in because it is going to be intense!

And, I will NOT be ending GIA after that chapter. There is still so much to do! I have three phases of GIA all planned out in my head (I have actually alluded to one of the things a few times in past chapters) and this is only phase one. There is still a lot more to come.

Hang in there, everybody, because (if I get 53 reviews) you will be reading one of the most intense chapters EVER this time next week.

I should start a little countdown clock because that is how excited I am to type this next chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't make me wait to post it because I didn't get all those reviews!

Much love,

Chey


	25. Final Countdown

Disclaimer: I am NOT Stephenie Meyer. Hell, my name doesn't even resemble hers. And further more…

A/N: I am excited to give you guys this chapter so I will keep this Author's Note short and just let you read already!

TOOT-TOOT! (Train whistle) All aboard the rollercoaster I call GIA! Strap yourselves in really tight and hold on to your valuables and loved ones. This is going to be one hell of a ride.

Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE!

Disclaimer: I am NOT Stephenie. Hell, my name doesn't even resemble hers. And further more…

A/N: I am excited to give you guys this chapter so I will keep this Author's Note short and just let you read already!

TOOT-TOOT! (Train whistle) All aboard the roller coaster I call GIA! Strap yourselves in really tight and hold on to your valuables and loved ones. This is going to be one hell of a ride.

Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE!

* * *

"The winner takes all  
Its the thrill of one more kill  
the last on to fall will never sacrifice their will  
don't ever look back on the world closing in  
be on the attack with your wings on the wind  
Oh, the games will begin."

* * *

--"Sweet Victory" by David Glen

Chapter Twenty-Three

BPOV

A loud crashing noise—not unlike the one that I had heard in my dream—came from the floor right below my room. And, right then, I knew where this was going and how it would end.

Fate was calling and I was going to answer.

I pulled myself out of my bed, my heart thrumming with anticipation, as I raced across my room, throwing my door open with such force that the knob made a large, gaping hole in the sheetrock.

I was not wasting any time dallying around, observing holes in walls that I didn't care about when, for all I know, Aro could be killing the Cullens.

I wouldn't put it past the old bastard.

Of course he would have waited until I was asleep to turn on me. I bet that if I hadn't woken up, that he would have told me, in the morning, that the Cullens had simply gone home and left me, not wanting anything to do with me.

Bull shit.

I hated Aro with every fiber of my being.

With that thought racing though my overactive mind, I pushed my legs faster and harder than they had ever gone before, the muscles burning with the force of the exertion I was forcing upon them.

I made it down to the hall in record time, skidding around the corner and bounding down the stairs, taking them two or three at a time, not caring that I was dangerously close to slipping and breaking my neck.

But right now, I could not give a fuck about my well being when the ones I loved lives were in jeopardy.

Why couldn't I run faster?

I cursed my legs as I propelled myself off of the last flight of stairs, skipping over at least five steps in the process; but who was counting?

I felt the adrenaline course thick through my over-worked veins as I pushed my body to its limits, rounding the last corner that would lead me to the large oak doors that led to the turret room.

Through that room, I knew that there would be only one door between me and the Execution room.

The room where Alice said I was going to die.

But if it would save the Cullens and Edward, I would do it. Self-preservation be damned.

I slowed down when I reached the large doors leading to the turret room. I wasn't entirely sure why I was slowing down, but something told me to not rush into this without assessing the situation first.

I pushed the heavy doors of the turret room open, taking in the silence that surrounded me. It was deafening.

The first thing I noticed was the fact that the entire room was empty; something that was a very rare occurrence. I realized that I hadn't even seen anyone on my way here. But, then again, I wasn't really paying much attention to my surroundings.

I looked across the room and my eyes caught on the huge white door looming in front of me. I knew where it lead to and I knew what I had to do; I just couldn't kick the intense jitters I was experiencing just from looking at the damn door.

I sucked in a breath; digging deep for some much needed courage, as I began the seemingly endless trek across the room.

My heart was beating at a dangerous speed, thumping out its disjointed, staccato beats in a way that caused my head to swim dizzyingly, to the point where I felt borderline nauseous.

But I couldn't dwell on that now. No, not now.

I pushed past the uncomfortable sense of foreboding that had worked its way into my stomach, sending butterflies fluttering through out my already unsettled stomach. With every step I took towards the white marble door at the opposite end of the turret room, the butterflies grew more and more intense.

I was still taking my time when another loud thump, like the ones I had heard from my room, reverberated across the walls, startling me into action.

My body reacted before my mind could think things through.

My feet were running towards the door, yanking on it with all of my might but it was locked.

I started yelling out profanities at every single member of the Volturi that I had ever wanted to cuss out before while ramming my shoulder into the unrelenting solidity of the door. And let me tell you, my cussing must have been pretty colorful because before I could get through damning Aro to hell, the door was flung open, a pale white hand flashing out to meet my thrashing, overly anxious body, and pulled me inside, throwing me, head first, across the room at a break-neck speed.

I was able to turn myself in the air at the so that I wouldn't hit the wall face first.

As I made impact, my back cracking loudly against the pristine white marble of the Execution room, I felt the room fade in and out as I teetered precariously on the edge of consciousness.

And one little tap would send me over.

"Bella!" I heard an angel yell from my side.

I looked over to see all of the Cullens standing in a perfect little line with their backs against the walls.

I wondered what was keeping them there, but I didn't have to wonder for long, for as I looked around them, I saw almost every single member of the Volturi guard poised and ready to attack, just mere feet from the Cullens.

I wanted to scream out.

I wanted to save them from the impending danger.

But I felt like I couldn't move, I could barely form a coherent thought as my head throbbed with an unyielding pain that started in my lower back and worked its way up my spinal cord, to the crown of my head.

Everything hurt and I didn't think I would last much longer with this amount of pain.

But then, a small, insignificant memory tugged at the back of my mind, fighting to come to the front of my mind.

I looked at this memory, realizing that it was Alice's previous vision of me dying. When she had drawn it out, it had shown me being attacked by a black blur before it but out.

And more importantly, I was standing.

I felt weak, but I knew that I was close enough to a few of the guard members to be able to siphon off enough energy from each of them that it would go unnoticeable, but still revive me enough to get off the ground.

I closed my eyes and let my head loll slightly to the side to give off the appearance that I was unconscious, but really I was focusing on the energy signs I could feel all around me.

I picked on the guard closest to me, some guy name Mortimer or something like that, and I pulled a very small amount of his strength from him. He didn't seem to notice the slight drain, but I could definitely feel the difference.

I did the same thing to four more vampires before I felt that I had recouped enough to stand and function with a minimal amount of pain. It would still hurt like a bitch but it would be worth it.

For the Cullens.

Everything I do is always for the Cullens. They deserve my help in any way I can give it to them.

I opened my eyes, as I let my newly heightened senses readjust to the room around me.

I could hear Edward off to my side yelling at no one in particular and the cracking of Emmett's knuckles as he glared menacingly at Demitri who was crouched just three feet from Emmett's huge, looming figure.

Alice had a far away look in her eyes as she scanned our futures. That much was expected.

The one thing that surprised me was Rosalie.

She was standing next to Emmett, her glare even more vicious than her husband's. But it wasn't directed at Demitri. No, hers was directed at Aro.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" She screeched as she took a step forward, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Are you trying to kill her? I thought that she was the best of your best."

When she took another step forward, I noticed her sneak a glance at me quickly before focusing her drop-dead glare on Aro again.

I understood exactly what she was doing.

A diversion.

I stood up carefully, taking my time to ensure that I didn't make any noise. But as I crept closer, summoning all of my strength, preparing to take Aro's head off in one swift motion, I was headed off by a few of Aro's most devout guard members. They quickly formed a semi-circle around Aro's tense form while Demitri snuck up behind me and grabbed me by the arms, pulling me back so that I was firmly locked into his iron grasp.

Lady Luck had abandoned me in this time of need.

"Let her go! This has nothing to do with her!" Edward yelled, as he futilely struggled to get around the thick mass of the guards and over to me.

"This has nothing to do with her?" Caius countered, sauntering over to where the Cullens were being detained.

"She is human this is no place for her." Edward argued hotly as he clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. From my spot in the room, I could faintly see the muscles of his tense jaw working with his frustration and anger.

I knew that if I didn't find a way to calm him soon that he would do something rash and outlandish. Typical Edward.

"Au contraire, my friend," Caius chuckled darkly as he paced around safely behind the lines of his guard. "She knows of our secrets and where we reside at. And, quite frankly, she is ridiculously powerful and I can only hope that her powers intensify with her change."

"You are going to change her against her will?" Rosalie sneered, turning her fiery gaze upon Caius.

"It was our plan all along." Aro claimed as he walked over to stand next to Caius, a sullen Marcus following a few feet behind him.

"You mean that you were never intending on respecting my wishes?" I scoffed.

"Yes, well, we were going to wait until you were older seeing as Aro wanted you for himself, but now that our plans have been exposed, why wait? Plus Aro would look dashing with a young bride on his arm. It is always a boost to a man's ego to be able to draw the attention of a younger girl." Caius spoke as though he was reading a grocery list.

I was pissed.

The fucking bastards.

And judging by the intense growls coming from the Cullen's, so were they.

"If you would ever believe that I would come willingly to you as your bride, mate or what-not, you are sadly mistaken." I spat at Aro's pompousness.

"But you would have no choice because, my dear, I have power over you." Aro argued, never breaking his calm, nonchalant demeanor.

"You know, they say with age comes wisdom. But I think that after you get old enough, you lose that wisdom." I shot at him, trying to wound his pride, knowing that was the only way he was going to retaliate.

"Why do you say that, my love?" Aro smiled a wickedly sickening smile that made my stomach twist unpleasantly. I hated that he called me love because only Edward had that right.

"Because you are pretty damn stupid." I stated flatly, not caring if he had some witty retort or not. I just wanted to sit here and berate him for every idiotic thing he had ever done since I had met him.

"You are pushing your luck, Bella." Aro warned, as I started struggling against Demitri's arms. But the stony arms were unrelenting.

Aro wandered over to the Cullens and straight over to where Edward was being held by Felix and three other guard members.

"Edward, I do believe that I would like your point of view on this. You are, after all, the reason for Bella ending up here, are you not?" Aro smiled as he rolled his long black sleeves up to his elbows.

Edward's head hung slightly and nodded, agreeing with Aro's outrageous accusations.

"No, Edward, you are not the reason I am here. Don't blame it on yourself." I tried to convince Edward but I knew that he wouldn't listen.

"Let's see if he believes you, my dear heart." Aro called from across the room, before he reached out and—skin to skin—grabbed Edward's neck, accessing his thoughts.

This was bad. This was really bad. This was incredibly shitty the-most-terrible-scenario-possible bad.

The main thing that the Cullens had told me that they were trying to keep a secret from the Volturi was their incredible powers. And now all of their work to protect their secrets was for naught.

I couldn't help but feel as though I had let them down.

"Ha ha ha!" Aro chortled as he withdrew his hand from Edward's tense neck. "That is… _incredible!_"

Definitely not good at all.

"Carlisle, my dear old friend," Aro exclaimed as he walked over to where Carlisle was visibly fuming next to Esme. "Why did you keep this from me? All of this power in such an irregular coven. I knew there was some secret behind your strength!"

"I assure you, Aro, I did it simply for…" Carlisle began but was cut off by Aro's unnervingly happy voice.

"…For the safety of your family because you were worried that I would get power hungry and try to assimilate your coven's power-houses." Aro concluded with a wave of his hand.

Carlisle simply blinked; stunned.

"I listened to the conversation through the memory of your first changed." Aro stated simply.

"Of course." Carlisle sighed.

"Think of all of the potential that you have at your fingertips, friend! Emotions, thoughts, and the future… it is incredible! Think, if we worked together, what we could accomplish." Aro's eyes took on a far away look that I had only seen once before: when he was contemplating whether or not to kill the wolves and me when he first found me in Forks. He had been so overwhelmed by my power that he had only thoughts of my potential and what it would mean for him in his head.

"No, Aro, I will not turn my family over to you." Carlisle said, his cool, calm demeanor unwavering.

"Family? How… quaint." Aro started walking around the Cullens, looking them over. I could tell that his patience was running thin but I couldn't seem to catch Carlisle's eye to let him know not to push Aro any harder.

"I wonder what would happen if I were to—oh, I don't know—take away a unit of your _family_? How strong would you be, friend?" Aro hissed as he continued to circle, casually looking over each of the Cullens as they stood still as the stones they were.

I glanced over and Edward's golden eyes met mine instantly.

"I love you," was all he mouthed at me. And I knew that he didn't need to say more. I could see it in his eyes.

I simply nodded and mouthed the word right back at him, which caused a huge grin to spread across his face. No matter the fact that we could die in a few minutes, we were still blissfully lost in our little world. It was our escape.

"You never answered me Carlisle. How would you react if I took away a facet of your family? What would you do?" He teased.

Carlisle stayed quiet, refusing to dignify Aro's question with an answer.

"Well, let's see, shall we?" Aro laughed again, turning away from the Cullens.

Aro walked over to me, running a cold, unwelcome finger across my forehead and down the side of my face, continuing down the side of my neck until he was tracing my collarbone.

"Such a beautiful girl." Aro murmured, running both of his hands across my cheeks, making me feel violated. "You will make a stunning vampire my sweet." Aro purred as he leaned in, pressing his lips to my neck.

I was shaking with fear that he was going to bite me right now. I didn't want to be his wife like he was saying earlier, I didn't want to be stuck with him forever, and I just wanted Edward and the Cullens.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Edward kept screaming, as he fought against the multiple vampires holding him back.

It was obvious that the Cullens were outnumbered here and I was too weak to do anything to save them.

"Awe, listen to that Bella. Little Edward Cullen still cares for you! Do you care for him?" Aro breathed in my ear, making me shiver in fear.

"Yes." I whispered.

"What was that?"

"Yes damn it!" I yelled in Aro's face, making him take a step back.

"How unfortunate." Aro sighed, motioning for Marcus to come over.

Marcus shuffled over to Demitri—who was still restraining me—Aro and I. "Yes Aro?" He mumbled, not meeting anyone's eyes.

Curiously, Edward ceased growling but I pushed that to the back of my mind as Aro spoke.

"I want you to take Bella from Demitri and make sure she doesn't get lose. I need Demitri to do something for me."

Marcus simply nodded as he walked behind me, getting a firm grasp on my upper arms before Demitri released me and walked over to Aro.

"Excellent! Now, Demitri, here is what I want you to do." Aro smiled. "I want Bella as mine, and I cannot have that if there are any…obstacles. Do you understand?" When Demitri nodded gleefully, I instantly became worried. "I want you to kill Edward."

"Now?" Demitri asked hopefully.

"Now." Aro agreed.

"NO, NO, NO!" I screeched, thrashing even more violently against the restraining arms that held me in place. "Do NOT kill him you vile bastard!"

"Well… when you put it that way… now Demitri." He commanded, a twisted smile taking over his papery features.

"No!" I continued screaming as Demitri made his way over to a very compliant Edward.

What the hell was that about?

All of the Cullens were yelling at various people around, begging them to stop or to try to solve this problem peacefully. Or, in Emmett's case, he was grabbing the vampire closest to him and quickly dismantling him in an attempt to take out some of their guard members.

I could barely see through my tears and all I could hear was my screams and pleading for Aro to stop but I could still feel the stony arms around me.

I felt a hand reach out and pry one of my fists off of Marcus' arm and drag in behind me, pressing it to Marcus' chest.

I turned my head slightly, noticing that it was Marcus who was pressing my hand against his chest.

"Find my Mark, Bella. Save those that you love." He whispered into my ear only loud enough for me to hear.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes, I don't want you to lose your reason for living. I know how hard it is to live through that." Marcus explained quietly.

When I sent him a questioning look, he shook his head slightly and pressed my hand against the side of his neck where I could feel the slightly raised scar of his bite mark.

"Now is not the time, dear child. Quickly." He commanded.

I smiled gratefully at him before quickly closing my eyes and following the pull of his power to the spot directly over his heart. The only difference between his mark and that of the Cullen's was that his had nothing attached to it; no other person to share the strength with.

I easily pulled most of his power, not wanting to drain him completely so that he could still put up a fight if necessary.

When I opened my tear brimmed eyes, I shot Marcus a watery, thankful smile before breaking away from his grip, tearing quickly though the throng of vampires between me and Demitri.

My heart was still pounding, as I feared that I wouldn't get across the room in time.

But, thankfully, I managed to get across the room in the matter of as second and launch myself in front of Edward, in between him and Demitri's approaching form.

"Stay back." I commanded, looking Demitri dead in the eye.

"I have an order that I fully intend of fulfilling, Bella. Do not get in my way." He warned any remnants of the man that I used to call friend was gone.

I realized that I might only have one ally in this room besides the Cullens and myself.

Damn.

Demitri took another heavy step forwards, swiftly approaching where I was crouched at, protecting Edward.

"I said to stay back!" I yelled again, hoping to get the point across.

"And I told you no." Demitri countered.

When he took another step forwards, I acted upon instinct, throwing up my shield at full force, slamming everyone around me into the walls surrounding me.

"I told you to stay back. If you would have just listened when I told you the first time, you would not be in this situation right now." I sneered, walking right over to Demitri's confined form as he flailed about in a hopeless fight against my shield.

"You think I would listen to you?" He mocked. "You are beneath me."

"Fuck you." I spit directly in Demitri's eye and turned away from him, sauntering back to the middle of the room.

I was almost to the center of the room when, of course, I slipped and fell on my butt in front of everyone.

I always hated the oxymoron that my name was because Bella Swan was certainly no swan.

I heard a muffled laughing noise coming from my right, causing me to whip my head around, my eyes connecting with Caius' cold ruby eyes.

"You think that is funny?" I asked, with acid dripping from my every word as I stood up and walked towards Caius.

"Yes, I actually do." He stated, having the audacity to laugh right in my face.

I blinked once and I saw red.

I could feel the power flowing directly to my fingertips and I reached out and placed a hand on Caius' chest.

"I'll show you funny." I spat at him before quickly finding his Mark and draining him of every ounce of his power and strength. "Do you find that funny? Because I don't hear you laughing anymore."

"Nuh-n-nn…" He mumbled incoherently.

"Here is something for you to laugh at." I chuckled darkly before reaching out and doing the same thing I did to Victoria all those years ago.

I planted a foot on the wall behind Caius and a hand against his shoulder before I grabbed onto his forearm and pulled. Hard.

I closed my eyes as I pulled against the hard stone of Caius' arm. It only took a second before I felt the joints weakening and giving away to my pulling.

I gave one last tug before a sickening crack echoed throughout the room.

And everything was silent.

Well… it was silent for about two seconds before Caius started screaming bloody murder, cursing my and yelling about his arm—which I was still holding.

I couldn't resist the opportunity, so I got a firm grasp on the disembodied arm and slapped Caius across the face with it, knowing that it would hurt a lot worse than me slapping him.

When the hand made contact with his marble skin, he silenced.

"Laugh about that." I shot at him before dropping the twitching arm at his feet and walking away.

Tuning out the yelling and angry protests of the Volturi, I looked around until I located the Cullens. They were pinned against a wall with a few member of the guard stuck next to them.

The Cullens were looking at me with blatant shock, ignoring the viciously snarling vampires next to them.

Well… most of them were shocked.

Emmett had Felix in a bear hug-like death grip, pinned to his chest, and was giving me a huge grin and cheering me on. "Pull the other arm off, too, Bells!" He cheered.

I shot him a small smile before focusing on the energy signatures of him and the rest of his family until I had singled them out from the mass of vampires in this room.

I withdrew my shield from them. Allowing them to move freely instead of being constrained against the wall as everyone else was. But that simple task was hard.

I could feel the toll the shield was taking on me. I could feel my power supply dwindling but I knew that I could hold out for a few more minutes. That gave me just enough time.

"Bella!" Edward exclaimed as he sprinted over to me, pulling me into his firm, familiar embrace.

"Are you okay?" I asked all of them.

"We are fine." Edward answered for them. "How about you, are you okay?"

"Now is not the time. You guys need to go. I want you to run as fast as you can and get out of here. Don't stop to get your personal affections, I will take care of that, just go now!" I commanded them, trying to sound forceful despite the lightheadedness that was taking over my body.

But I fought it.

I needed to stay conscious just long enough to get them out of here.

"Alright," Carlisle agreed. "Come on, everyone."

With that, they turned on their heel and ran out, leaving me standing in the middle of a room with a bunch of pissed off vampires.

Now what?

I didn't have to wonder what was going to happen next for long, for as soon as the thought entered my head, Edward and Alice burst back in through the door they had just left.

"Why are you still here?" Alice hissed, grabbing onto my arm, and trying to drag me towards the door where the rest of her family was waiting.

"I need to stay… my shield won't let us get far if I go with you." I mumbled though the drowsiness.

"No, you are coming with us." Edward protested, reaching out to grab onto my arm but before his hand could reach me, I felt my world cave in.

The floor rushed up to meet my spinning head as my world was enclosed in blackness.

* * *

A/N: Okay, there is not a Quote Hunt in this chapter because I couldn't find a song suitable enough to out in here.

Sorry!

But, I am SUPER HAPPY because last chapter I asked for 53 reviews and you guys gave me 90!!!! Eek! I broke 1000 reviews!! Can we get that many reviews for this chapter, too? Pretty please?

Beta note from Portland Writer: Damn it all, if Chey doesn't get at LEAST 90 reviews for this chapter, I will hunt you down and make you review! This woman works her ass off to get these stories to you, and does school, and soccer, and puts up with me! So REVIEW! Anonymous, signed, whatever just REVIEW!

Thanks Natty. :) You rock my Beta socks.

:)

Much love,

Chey

Oh… also, don't expect an update from me next Monday because I have a soccer tournament in Las Vegas so I will abroad. But, don't worry, I will try to get one out late next week!


	26. Recant, Relent, Resent

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I do, however, own every single Britney Spears CD ever. (I don't care what you say, I freaking love her.)

A/N: Hey! Long time, no talk.

I am sorry that this took 2 and a half weeks to get out. But, I had some… personal trouble (I won't go into detail) and it delayed the typing of this chapter. So, forgive me?

Some of you guys were a little put off by the lack of a Quote Hunt in the last chapter (*cough*Mandi*cough*cough*) so I am going to make it up to you guys in this chapter!! I will be putting TWO quotes in here for you to find. And, as always, details are at the bottom.

Also, I couldn't reply to ALL of your reviews, so if I didn't get to you and you feel dejected, send another one! Who knows, I might get to it this time. :) You guys are all superdy-duper mixed with all kinds of awesome so don't think that I don't want to reply! Really, I do. I just don't have that much time. Which would you rather have: a chapter or a review reply?

I vote for a chapter.

ATTENTION!!! I have a missing Beta! She has gone AWOL and I haven't talked her in about a week. She mentioned something about going to Hawaii but I thought she was getting back on Sunday. Anyways, if you happen to know Portland Writer's whereabouts, it would be greatly appreciated if you would divulge the information to me!

As a result, this chapter was NOTT Betaed. Ignore the mistakes please!

Now, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR!!

* * *

"So I'll watch the matches, turn to ashes.  
I'll watch the matches, turn to ashes.  
I can tell as you turn, I smell the sulfur so clear.  
And fire's a beautiful sound.  
And the wings that you burn turn to ashes my dear.  
And ashes just fall to the ground.  
Yeah , we're only ashes"

--"Only Ashes" by Something Corporate

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four

EPOV

(Shows the last little bit of last chapter from his

POV and then it continues on.)

I watched on in awe as my Bella held up as impressive shield, rendering the entire Guard immobile.

If I had ever doubted her power before, I certainly didn't now.

The power emanating from her was palpable. I didn't need Jasper's emotion-sensitive gift to tell me just how effective and strong it was.

I could, literally, feel the power surging from her in thick, overpowering waves.

I wanted so bad to be able to go to her and tell her how proud I was of her for being able to hold her own against the most elite of my kind but I was filled with a sort of reluctance—a sense of wariness, if you will—about approaching her.

She had made it obvious, before, that this power of hers was extremely deadly and require a lot of concentration and energy to control. I didn't want to risk making her falter and become the cause of a massacre.

She would never forgive herself and, quite frankly, I would be pissed off at myself for being so utterly careless and jeopardizing her safety.

Through my Mark—which still felt as though it was connected to Bella's incredibly powerful life-force—I could feel a sort of dwindling sensation as though something was being sucked away but I dismissed it as nerves from the tension of the whole situation.

"You guys need to go." Bella spoke to us as she clenched her eyes shut as though she was concentrating hard on something. I had a feeling that her control on her shield was slipping and she didn't want us around for that.

"I want you to run as fast as you can and get out of here. Don't stop to get your personal affections, I will take care of that, just go now!" She started out at her normal speaking voice, but by the end she was almost yelling in her haste to get us out of the room and to safety.

Perspiration was budding up around her dark hair line as she fought for the control that was slipping from her; quickly.

From the thoughts running through Carlisle's mind, he, too, knew that Bella was losing it and that we needed to get out of this room.

Carlisle quickly conceded and pushed our family swiftly through the horrendous marble archway that marked the entrance of the Execution room.

We all immediately started running, not wasting any time, in an effort to escape the place.

"What are we doing?" Esme cried, stopping in the middle of the hallway. The rest of our family halted around her. "We can't just leave Bella in there by herself!"

"She's right. I can't leave Squirt like that no matter what she says or how easily she could yank my balls off." Emmett agreed, his eyes darting back in the direction we had just come before glancing at his crotch.

Ah, some things will never change.

"Alice…?" Esme prompted, looking over at Alice's glazed over eyes beseechingly, waiting for consent to haul ass back to the Execution room and save her daughter.

I was touched by the love my family felt for my Beloved.

"Oh, no." Alice whispered and something in those two words pulled at my long still heart. I felt the same odd dwindling sensation that I had experienced earlier from my Mark suddenly intensify, ten-fold.

I knew something was terribly wrong.

I chanced a glance into the hazy swirls of Alice's chaotic mind to see what she was seeing.

The vision was swirling in and out of focus telling me that it wasn't absolute, but still a possibility. I could see Bella's crumpled form lying on the white marble floor of the room I had just left. A future me was leaning over her, blood on my hands, while I yelled for Carlisle.

"I never would have let us leave her…" Alice mumbled. "I thought she was following."

"It's fine but we need to get back there now!" I roared, not wasting any time.

Our family took off, this time running towards the danger in order to protect one of our own.

I pumped my legs faster and faster, covering the wide expanse of the turret room in a fraction of a second as my body moved me at a speed that would probably be blurred even to a vampire.

Alice and I were the fastest of our family, so we made it to the room first, bursting through the door before pausing and taking in the sight before us.

I could see glimpses of visions flashing through Alice's mind and changing as fast as a girl changes clothes. It was dizzying.

There were dozens of pissed off, lethal vampires strung out on the wall, but not nearly as immobile as before. I figured that as Bella's energy ebbed and receded that her shield became less effective to those in its confines.

We needed to get Bella, fast, and then get the hell out of here.

Waiting around for the "gap" that we had been hoping would some how appear was no longer an option in our grandiose escapes plan. We needed to _go._

Alice seemed to know exactly what I was thinking because she rushed forward and grabbed onto Bella, partially because she was going to drag her out of this room if necessary and partially to keep her upright so that the vision of her lying on the floor would not become a reality.

"Why are you still here?" Alice hissed, and tried to drag Bella towards our family whom had, in the mean time, gathered in a loose semi circle around the doorway ensuring that no one got in and no one got out without having to deal with them.

"I need to stay… my shield won't let us get far if I go with you." Bella's words slurred as she fought to push them though her reluctant lips. She wasn't going to last much longer.

I didn't have time for her pathetic protests. I would simply carry her out of here. She was in a seriously weakened state right now, to begin with. Plus I had a feeling that I wouldn't receive much resistance.

"No, you are coming with us." I spoke, letting a tone of finality leak into my words as I reached out to pick up my angel.

But it would seem that fate and lady luck were not on my side today.

Just as my fingertips were about to brush the soft skin of Bella's arm, a vision—crystal clear and more potent than ever before—flooded Alice's mind causing her to with drawl her hand to keep from crushing Bella's delicate arm.

The vision showed a bright eyed Bella smiling as she stood in front of a large wooden door. But the most shocking part of the scene was not the location—even though the familiar scenery was easily recognizable—but, rather, it was her glowing, crimson eyes that shocked me into a stupor, temporarily freezing my entire being.

The vision had been so painfully clear that it left no doubt in my mind that this _was_ going to happen and it was going to happen soon. That much was obvious.

I was pulled back from my over-analyzing when I felt the warmth from Bella's arm slip away from my fingertips.

With a resounding _thud_ Bella hit the ground in a heap much like the one from the vision Alice had had earlier in the hallway.

Oh, no.

I was down beside her in a second, my hands fluttering uselessly over her unconscious form.

But the damage was already done.

Bella's shield dropped as soon as she had hit the floor, releasing all of the Volturi guard to the ground. I feared for our lives for a moment before a small whimper escaped my love's lips, drawing my attention straight back to her face.

"Carlisle! Carlisle!" I called out, the sense of déjà vu hitting me hard as I realized that this was exactly the same as in the vision Alice had experienced back in the hall way.

The same vision we were trying to prevent.

The words had barely left my lips before a familiar smell—a strong over-powering smell—filled my nostrils as I breathed in the heady scent. I was no longer tempted by the smell of Bella's blood but that didn't mean that everyone else was as desensitized as I was.

In a matter of seconds the entire room was in an uproar. The less controlled members of the guard were flinging themselves at Bella, trying to get to her freely flowing blood, as my family formed a circle around Bella and I, protecting us from their attacks.

"Carlisle!" I called out again as hysteria set in and I realized that I had no idea what to do. Years and years of medical school had never prepared me for what to do in the presence of an emergency such as this.

I was simply… frozen.

"Edward, her pulse is weakening." He pointed out as her pressed a cool palm to the crown of Bella's head, examining the laceration.

"I know… I can hear it." I told him as I closed my eyes, tuning out the sounds of the growls around me and focusing solely on the sound of Bella's heart. A sound that was as familiar to me as my own voice. I lived for the strong sound of her heartbeat pulsing, alive in her chest with all the life she has left.

And right now, that wasn't much.

I listened as the steady thumping broke from its constant rhythm and became disjointed and significantly slower.

It was enough to send my stomach plummeting to my feet.

Oh, God, I was losing her.

"Do something!" I yelled at Carlisle. "I cannot lose her like this! Not now! I just found her again!"

A loud snarl ripped through the entire room, silencing the fiasco that had ensued when Bella had begun bleeding.

"Stop!" A cry resounded from the far side of the room.

Before I could comprehend why exactly everyone had stopped moving and were eerily calm, a cloaked figure came hurtling through the masses of bodies surrounding my family and I.

I chanced a glance away from Bella's unusually pale face to see who had calmed the room far better than Jasper ever could have.

"Is she alright?" The cloaked figure asked, pushing the hood away from his face to reveal a very concerned Marcus.

"Perfect." I hissed sarcastically, not quite sure if I could trust Marcus.

His thoughts _seemed_ innocent and he certainly didn't act as dominating or controlling as Aro and Caius did. But… they always say that it is the quiet ones that you have to look out for.

And being a mind reader, I can attest that the quiet ones really are trouble.

"It is fine, young Cullen. You can trust me. I only have Bella's best interest at heart." He shot me a small smile as he bent down and ran a hand along the crease of Bella's arm causing me to emit another hiss.

"Trust me, Edward." Marcus mumbled.

"Why should we trust you? For all we know you could have some super power that is killing her!" Emmett growled making a move towards Marcus before Jasper's arm shot out to atop him.

"Now, Emmett, do you know, for a fact, that he is killing Bella?" Jasper, always the voice of reason asked as he tested Marcus' emotions, finding only sincerity and worry for Bella's safety.

"No… but he is Volturi royalty so can we trust him?" Emmett kept trying to argue but Jasper had taken away his main point.

"Yes, we can." I answered as I surfed through Marcus' thoughts.

There was nothing amiss in his head and no one was _that _good at hiding their thoughts.

_No one._

He was telling the truth.

"I trust you." I told him, giving a slight, curt head nod in his direction letting him know that I really don't want to believe him but I didn't have any reason not to.

"I understand your hesitation but we don't have much time, her life is dwindling and slipping as we speak. Something needs to be done soon or else we will lose her." Marcus quickly changed the attention from him to Bella's crumpled form, her head still bleeding.

As Carlisle and Marcus checked over Bella to make sure that there was no other damage that would keep us from being able to move her, I took a look around the room.

Everyone, aside from my family and Marcus, were standing in various positions but with the same blank look on their faces.

"What did you do?" I whispered as I took in the sight of the Amazon-like Heidi holding Demitri by the arm—almost as though she was holding him back from something—while Demitri had his arm pulled back as though he was going to punch someone out. But, oddly enough, he wasn't anywhere near me or anyone else that he would want to punch. Instead he looked like he was trying to lat Caius out.

That would have been golden to see.

Apparently Bella had made a few friends here who were willing to fight for her. That was good for her.

"I simply took away their emotions. Without their emotions they have to will to fight, no drive to do anything. They simply just exist." Marcus explained when he finally answered my question.

"How? I thought your power was to sense relationships?" Carlisle asked as he slowly moved Bella's unconscious form onto her side so that he could check to make sure her back wasn't broken.

"It is. But like our dear Bella here, there are other… facets to my power. I am no one trick pony, old friend." Marcus snickered as he pulled of his robe and gently lifted Bella's head, making a pillow for her head to rest on.

"So you took their emotions away? That is interesting." Jasper tested the room around him only finding nine energy signals. "Very interesting."

"I have never had to use it before. I would even venture to say that Aro probably forgot that I could even do it. It isn't exactly the most useful power out there so he just overlooked it." Marcus looked at Jasper, taking in his scars and the southern air about him. "A solider. What war my friend?"

"Civil war, sir. Confederacy." Jasper answered proudly. "Among other newborn wars in the south… but those aren't worth remembering." He added the last part a little less proudly than the first. I knew he wasn't proud of his prior lifestyle and it showed when he talked about it.

"Great war, the civil war was. Sorry, but losing was the best thing to happen to the south." Marcus answered with a small smirk on his face as he went over to one of the members of the guard and took their robes off of them, laying them over Bella like a blanket.

"I sort of agree, to an extent… however, I don't think now is the time argue over the semantics of a war. We need to help Bella out." Marcus, once again, drew everyone's attention back to the task at hand: saving Bella's life.

I hadn't let go of her hand since I had knelt down to check on here and now, judging by the temperature of her hand, that probably wasn't the smartest idea ever.

Her hand was clammy and shaking yet I couldn't bring myself to let go.

It felt—to me—as though if I let go that I would be letting go of my hope and my hope was all I had left.

But in the back of my mind, I knew that as her heart beat slowed even more with each pump of the weakening ventricles, she drew closer to death.

"Carlisle, what is wrong with her?" Esme asked tentatively as she stepped forwards and brushed some stray hairs out of Bella's face.

"Well, from what I can tell she has some severe head trauma no doubt from when Aro threw her into that wall but it was amplified when she hit it again on the ground. I guess I am not surprised since this is Bella we are talking about, but it was just her luck that she hit the same spot on her head both times." Carlisle let out a humorless chuckle at the sheer oddity of Bella and her "luck."

"Well that is nothing too major, right?" Rosalie asked as she held onto Emmett's massive hand, staring down at my Bella.

_Please don't be dying. Ugh. Don't die, don't die, don't die. I will chant it a million times if it would ensure that you would live. Edward needs you, Bella. And… hell… you aren't too bad of a friend… for a human of course. _

Rosalie's abnormally sweet thoughts floated through my mind, shocking me.

I turned towards her a shot her a slight smile letting her know that I heard her thoughts and appreciated them. She simply nodded in return, thinking, _don't expect a repeat performance, Ed. _

I want to growl at the nickname but before I could, a soft mumbling came from Bella as her small hand tightened around my cold stone one.

"Love?" I asked as her eye lids fluttered.

"Bella, can you hear me?" Carlisle asked as he knelt down next to me, everyone around us on pins and needles to see what would happen.

"Ye…yeah." She breathed so softly that even I could barley hear her.

"Do you feel any pain? Any dizziness at all?" Carlisle slipped into doctor mode, asking all of the proper question that you would expect of someone being examined.

"Hell yeah." Bella let out a small breathy laugh as her eyes opened slightly, cringing at the light coming from the bright fluorescents of the pristine white room.

"Where? Your head, your back… what hurts?" Carlisle's hands carefully tilted Bella's chin back so that she could breathe more easily.

"My head hurts and I guess, from the smell, that it is bleeding. And everything is blurry and unfocused. I can only tell who is who based on hair color and height." Bella let out another breathy laugh before her entire frame was wracked with a cough that must have caused her pain because she started crying after just a few small coughs.

"I am so pathetic!" She cried, trying to hold her breath in an effort to keep the tears in but they still managed to leak out and race down her cheeks, disappearing into her hair.

"You are not pathetic. I would probably be bawling like a freaking baby if I were you." Emmett exclaimed as he flexed his muscles for some odd, self involved reason.

"The big bad Emmett? Crying? Neve—" Bella's sarcastic comment was cut off by another bout of intense coughing.

I felt helpless as I sat there and held her to me. I couldn't think of anything I could do to sooth her or take the pain away. It killed me to be useless.

"It is okay love. Deep breaths, stay with me." I whispered into her ear as she tried to control the coughing.

"She isn't going to make it much longer." Marcus whispered with a tone of reluctance in his voice.

"What?" I whisper cried at him, my entire body shaking right along with Bella's. Why is it always us that have these problems? All these near death experiences? Would fate never leave us be?

When Bella's coughing increased to the point where she rolled over and vomited blood onto the floor next to me, I knew Marcus was right. She wouldn't make it much longer.

"Where is the hospital?" I asked as I frantically clung Bella closer to me.

"It won't be of any use." Carlisle sighed. "Too much of her energy was lost. Her shield took anything she had left in her. I don't think she could get that energy back, even if she tried."

"So what?" Esme asked, looking up at Carlisle with worried eyes as she patted Bella's back in a very motherly gesture.

"There are only two options now…" Marcus began, giving me a meaningful look.

"No… no… NO!" I cried.

"Edward, son, it is either change her or watch her die. It is your choice. But you better decide soon because her time is running short and if you are going to change her, her heart needs to be beating to pump the venom through her veins."

"No! I will no damn her to this half life!" I cried as I wildly clutched a coughing, convulsing Bella against my chest.

"Alright, this is your decision. What do you want to do? Wait it out and bury her here? Or do you want me to put her out of her misery and end her pain now?" Carlisle offered with a mischievous glint in his eye. But I ignored it as I jumped up and cradled Bella to my chest, angling her away from Carlisle.

"I won't let you kill her!" I yelled half out of my mind with worry and panic.

"So we sit and let her die." Carlisle conceded.

"No, she won't die." I exclaimed hysterically, hissing at everyone around me. "I won't let her!"

"Then change her. That is the only way to prevent it, Edward." Alice stepped forwards cautiously. "I have looked into every possible outcome and they all result in death except for that one."

"It can't be." I cried tearlessly.

"I'm so sorry Edward but you knew that it would happen eventually." Alice apologized as I felt my body shake from the force of another one of Bella's coughing fits.

"Bella, love, you are d-d-dying." I choked out as I buried my fame into her blood soaked hair, not even marginally tempted by its call. "There isn't anything we can do."

"Liar." She got out in between the coughs.

I sat in stunned silence from her accusation.

"What do you mean?"

"You know—_cough_—as well as I do that—_cough_—there are other options." She wheezed as a fresh trail of blood bubbled over her lips and ran down her chin.

"I can't." I hung my head, knowing that I was fighting a losing battle but I needed to keep fighting.

"You can. I believe in you." She coughed out again.

"Bella, I…"

"Hush now and hear me—_cough—_out, Edward." She smiled a weak smile up at me, her angelic features shining though the gore that marred her face.

When I didn't answer right away, she took this as an affirmative that I was going to listen.

"My heart and soul are already yours. If you chose to let me die here, then I can respect that decision. And, if you chose to let my heart spend its last beats pumping your venom though my veins then I can respect that decision, too. But I don't want to influence you choice by injecting my opinions. I am yours to keep or to let go." She coughed a sad little cough and drew a ragged breath.

"Edward, you should change her." Marcus spoke up for the first time in a while.

I looked up at him surprised by the sincerity in his voice.

"Think about it. It isn't just about you. You are not the only one who will be affected if she dies. Your family would lose a sister, a daughter, a lover, a best friend, and I would lose a great friend too. Your decision will change everyone around you, keep that in mind." He spoke with conviction breaking down the last of my walls and making up my mind.

"Is everyone's happiness worth saving her?"

As Marcus' last comment hung in the air, I dropped to my knees, Bella still in my arms, looking up at me with bleary eyes.

"I love you." I said, kissing her warm lips, taking in the feeling for the last time: savoring it.

"I love you, too." My angel replied, her eyes closing peacefully.

I kissed my way down her jaw bone and across her throat before I reached her pulse point.

I muttered one last 'I love you' before I sunk my teeth into the long column of her delicious throat.

* * *

A/N: QUOTE HUNT!

Remember, there are two quotes for you to find. And you get one sneak peak at the next chapter for every quote you find. So… (if my basic math skills are working correctly) that means TWO little snip-its of the next chapter if you leave a SIGNED review with the correct song and quote!

The first one is by Katy Perry.

The second is by the Hush Sound.

Thank you!!!

Sorry if the grammar and spelling is terrible, it wasn't Betaed. Oopsie!

Oh, go add my MySpace. The link is on my profile. We can chat it up!

Much love,

Chey


	27. Going Under

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

A/N: You will just have to read the Author's Note at the bottom. It should explain it all. But I will warn you. Brace yourselves because this chapter is pretty rough. Sorry it had to be this way. Truly, I am.

Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHPATER TWENTY-FOUR (and a half)!

* * *

Chapter Twenty Four and a Half

_Last Chapter (EPOV):_

"_Is everyone's happiness worth saving her?" _

_As Marcus' last comment hung in the air, I dropped to my knees, Bella still in my arms, looking up at me with bleary eyes._

"_I love you." I said, kissing her warm lips, taking in the feeling for the last time: savoring it._

"_I love you, too." My angel replied, her eyes closing peacefully._

_I kissed my way down her jaw bone and across her throat before I reached her pulse point._

_I muttered one last 'I love you' before I sunk my teeth into her throat. _

BPOV

There was an intense fire burning through my entire body and it just kept getting stronger and stronger, the burning sensation spreading to parts of my body I didn't even knew existed.

I felt the flames lick at my body as I writhed on the cool marble of the floor. However, the cold from the stone did nothing to sooth the pain that was coursing through my body right now.

I could hear myself screaming out wordless pleas as my mind and heart burned with the venom of my love but I couldn't bring myself to try to silence the cries.

It was just too much effort and my body had no energy left at all.

I wondered, briefly, if there was any part of me left to burn.

The fire seemed to be all consuming, eating away at anything and everything in its path, destroying the things that I needed for life.

There was no way I was coming out of this one alive. It just wasn't plausible when I was in this amount of pain.

A memory tugged the back of my burning mind, searing my clenched eyes when I attempted to reach out to it. I fought through the pain to view the evanescent memory before it could slip through my grasp.

A picture flashed through my mind displaying the one I loved the most.

My Edward.

Even through the pain I could take a second to appreciate the beauty of his face. The strong contours of his jaw, the gentle sloping of his cute nose, the bright shining of his molten gold eyes, and the slanted way his lips curled when he smiled for me.

And, just like that, the pain was back.

I guess it was futile to try to push it away.

"_The change… the pain is unbearable. You lay there, suffering, for three days with no relief from the venom. It is not a happy or easy thing to endure. Not everyone makes it through."_

I remembered the words of Aro from a few months ago when he had brought up the subject of change and I had inquired exactly how it happened—gory details and all—since Edward was always reluctant to give me any details.

Always overprotective, Edward was.

It was cute sometimes but other times it was annoying.

I wanted to laugh at the errant thought but the only thing that escaped my lips was another violent scream and a long string of curse words that I am not sure were even real words.

A strong wave of the venom washed through my veins, crashing down on my weakening heart, slowing the beat inestimably. It was too soon, I could tell that much. I shouldn't be loosing my heartbeat for another while now because—even though it had felt like an eternity—I was positive that it had not been the three days required for the change.

No.

I tried to open my mouth to ask what was happening, and why my heart was slowing but at the same time another bout of venom washed through me with the force of a great typhoon, directly hitting my heart for a second time in the same minute. I ended up screaming out again, my back arching off the floor painfully to the point where I felt a snap reverberate up my spine as my back shattered, making my body fall limply to the ground.

I couldn't move anymore.

My disjoined heartbeats stuttered out even more.

Shit.

I can't have this happen, not now.

With another painful burst, I gave into the waves of venom and allowed myself to be washed away.

EPOV

I watched helplessly, holding my love, as she screamed out and cried, tears tracking down her flushed cheeks.

I wanted to do something; anything. But nothing came to mind.

"Motherfuckershitdamnfuckholyhell!" Bella screamed as she writhed in my grasp, trying to wrangle her way out of my arms.

But I wouldn't let go. I knew that if I let her go that she would probably end up hurting herself with the magnitude of her thrashing. Not to mention that I couldn't, for the life of me, let go of her.

Not now.

Not ever.

Bella's body jerked in my arms, contorting at an odd angle as another shriek fell from her lips. I froze all of my movements and listened, wanting to find the reason behind the strange movement.

Her heart was slowing.

I had only been present for one other person's change besides my own, but I knew from everyone around me and their thoughts that your heart didn't slow until the last moments of the change.

Either Bella was incredibly lucky that she was getting through this change in record time—four and a half hours if I was going my Alice's mental timer—or she was the most unlucky person on the planet and this had taken a horrible turn for the worst.

Being Bella, it was most likely the latter.

"NO!" I sobbed out when her body jolted awkwardly again, her heart barely sputtering out its beats.

"What is it, son?" Carlisle asked, his voice laced with worry and concern, but his thoughts told me that he was thinking that I was over reacting and that I was slipping into my self-loathing mode because I had changed Bella.

Of course I hated myself right now, I was killing her.

"Listen…" I chocked out as everyone quickly ran over to where Bella and I lay, both of us broken but each in a different way.

We sat in silence for a split second before Bella screamed out again, her little heart barley getting its next beat out. I was losing her.

"Her heart…" Esme trailed off as she quickly dropped down and grasped onto Bella's hand, rubbing small circles on the back of it, whispering words of comfort and concern.

She didn't understand.

None of them did except for Jasper, Carlisle, and Marcus.

"She doesn't have much time left." Jasper said, his voice controlled, if a little strained, as he tried to resist the blood that was still freely flowing.

"That has to be the fastest change ever." Emmett mumbled as he stared down as Bella's convulsing body.

"Not, it isn't." Carlisle whispered, not wanting to have to admit what was happening.

"There is someone who has changed faster?" Rosalie sputtered out, completely confused and a little envious that she couldn't have changed that fast.

"She is dying!" I shouted, not wanting their pointless rambles to continue any longer. I couldn't take it, listening to their thoughts on how beautiful Bella would be when she was a vampire and how it would be great to have her around without worrying about hurting or breaking her.

"Well, bro, I hate to break it to you but she _is _dying. That is what we do when we change. You do remember this stuff right? No more thump thump under the lady lumps? Am I making sense too you?" Emmett tried to explain to me as though I was the least intelligent person on the planet.

"Not like that you moron!" Everyone fell silent at my outburst, staring at me unbelievingly.

"Listen, man, I didn't--" Emmett tried to apologize but I swiftly cut him off.

"Listen to her heart, Emmett. It is slowing down. It isn't supposed to do that for another three days!" I sobbed out a tearless cry as Bella screamed out again.

"What does it mean?"

"It means her body is rejecting the change, we are loosing her." I whispered broken-heartedly.

"Shit." Emmett mumbled, his thoughts apologizing for his previous comments.

I simply waved them off and went back to focusing on the beautiful girl in my lap.

"Is there anything we can do?" I pleaded with Carlisle, glancing up at his worry stricken face.

"I don't know…" He looked over at Marcus who had been silently standing at Bella's feet his mind praying silently as he looked upon his hurting friend.

"No." He breathed. "This is her fate."

"I wont accept it." I squared my shoulders and growled, prepared to fight Death himself.

"There is no way to save her now. Do you think that I would let her die like this if there was a way to possibly save her?" He looked me directly in the eyes, the ruby depths conveying the truth in his words.

I silently accepted his statement and pulled Bella closer to me as another wave hit her small body.

I whispered "I love you" into her ear the entire time she screamed and jerked in pain, her blood slowing down along with her heart.

With a final scream, Bella's back arched painfully off the floor and before I could grab hold of her to keep her from hurting herself further, a loud cracking noise emanated from her vertebrae as her body fell slack in my arms.

This was it.

"Good-bye, Bella." Alice whispered, her mind clouded over with her visions.

Bella's heart pumped out one last unsteady beat, synchronized with her breath, and then she stilled.

No sound came from my love.

No movements came from her either.

She was simply gone.

"Good-bye, my Bella, you are the only one I will ever love." I whispered into her ear as the sobs wracked my body more violently than ever before.

Humming her lullaby, I watched the last rays of the afternoon sun glimmered off of her ivory skin, as the sun set on Bella's life, signaling the end of any purpose in mine, too.

Twilight; the end of another day has come.

* * *

A/N: So before you leave me any hate mail and such you must understand one thing about this dreadful chapter….

April Fools.

The REAL chapter will be up in a few days!

Much love, (and don't shoot me)

Chey


	28. Creature of the Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Seriously now, how many times do I have to type this before it becomes blatantly obvious that considering I haven't owned Twilight for the past 27 chapters that I NEVER will own it? Where is my fairy godmother…? Bippedy – boppedy – fuckme – boo.

A/N: Yes, I am a cruel, sadistic bitch. I know. LOL! Every single review I got for the last chapter ranged from: "You are so Fucking DEAD!" to "That was clever, you definitely got me!" Oh, my. I laughed on every single one of them. You guys can get creative with those death threats of yours.

But did you guys honestly think that I would kill Bella off like that; in a short little 2,000 word chapter? Hell to the no. If I was going to kill her I would do it in a huge 20-something page long novel worthy chapter. And she would go out with a bang, not some little "and then… I die." That would be so anticlimactic. You guys seriously underestimate me. I am seriously offended. (Just kidding.)

This chapter isnt Betaed yet, but I couldnt wait to post it so that I can get the real story out there for you all.

Anyways, onto the REAL chapter. Enjoy.

Now, Indulge Your Curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE!!!

* * *

"I live among the creatures of the night  
I haven't got the will to try and fight  
Against a new tomorrow, so I guess I'll just believe it  
That tomorrow never comes

A safe night, I'm living in the forest of my dream  
I know the night is not as it would seem  
I must believe in something, so I'll make myself believe it  
That this night will never go."

--"Self Control" by Infernal

* * *

Twenty-Five

_Last REAL Chapter (EPOV):_

"_Is everyone's happiness worth saving her?" _

_As Marcus' last comment hung in the air, I dropped to my knees, Bella still in my arms, looking up at me with bleary eyes._

"_I love you." I said, kissing her warm lips, taking in the feeling for the last time: savoring it._

"_I love you, too." My angel replied, her eyes closing peacefully._

_I kissed my way down her jaw bone and across her throat before I reached her pulse point._

_I muttered one last 'I love you' before I sunk my teeth into her throat. _

BPOV

I was always told that when a person is dying that their hearing is the last thing to go.

I beg to differ.

I was absolutely positive that I was dying right now—with a pain like this, how could I not be?—yet I could hear nothing. However, I could feel. Oh, damn could I feel.

Why couldn't I at least have a normal death?

I mean, I know nothing about anything I do could even remotely be considered normal, what with the vampire love interest, werewolf best friend, and the fact that I had super powers that could seriously rival Spider Man's.

Yes, normal is exactly how you would describe my life.

But when a jolt of pain shot through my torso I couldn't help but thinking that I would trade this pain for the hearing any day.

Maybe I would go to an abnormal after-life, too, when I finally did die… which didn't seem to be happening any time soon.

All the bad things in my life always did drag on. The good things whizzed by me in a New York minute.

There was an intense fire burning through my entire body and it just kept getting stronger and stronger, the burning sensation spreading to parts of my body I didn't even knew existed.

I was beyond thought.

Every time I tried to think about something—anything to give me any indication as to why I was feeling this way or how I got to this Hell—a strong jolt of the liquid fire would pulse through my system, jolting any previous trains of thought to a sudden halt.

Maybe I _am _glad that I couldn't hear.

I was probably screaming loud enough that people in obscure parts of Africa were wondering what animal was mauling me to death.

Yes, I decided, I definitely am glad that I cannot hear.

I wondered, briefly, if there was any part of me left to burn. The fire continued raging through my body yet it showed no signs of stopping.

I wished for death.

I had never been suicidal and I was perfectly content with my life but this damn fire was relentless and I didn't think that I could last much longer with this burning-alive feeling without finding some way to put myself out of my misery.

I scoured every inch of my throbbing brain—pushing the pain away in an effort to get some answers. Did I have any reason to continue living? Would I be missed if I died?

I sure couldn't remember.

Another burst of fire shot through my veins and directly hit my heart, shocking it so hard that even though the heavy shroud of the pain I could still feel the unsteady organ pump out painful, disjointed rhythms.

Another wave crashed down on my heart again, striking a place that caused a memory to jolt to attention in front of my blind eyes.

Edward.

I could see his tousled bronze hair and shining, loving golden eyes looking down at me. And, since no memory of Edward would be perfect without it, his crooked smile was perfectly set over his full lips.

Any wishes I had still been harboring about dying vanished.

I still had a reason to live.

I had to dig deeper than I had ever dug before, but I found my purchase and managed to pull up the last bit of energy I could find. I would need all of the energy I could get if I was going to pull this off successfully.

With one final thrust, I pushed the strength to the forefront of my senses and trumped any and all of the pain I felt until the burning sensation had dulled considerably.

I could still feel whispers of the fire ghosting through my veins but it was much less pronounced.

Like this, it was bearable; tolerable.

With Edward's name and face gracing my every thought, I surrendered to the blackness, hoping that I would, once again, see the light that my angel emitted.

EPOV

I tasted Bella's blood on my tongue as it ran thick down my throat. The heady scent and intoxicating taste of it was impossible to resist. It called to me in the most primal of ways.

Yet I managed to achieve the unachievable.

I pulled away from her.

"Edward, son, you did well." I felt Carlisle's cool hand press lightly onto my shoulder, pushing me away from Bella's bleeding neck so that he could patch her before she bled to death.

With my eyes still closed, I sat back on my haunches, Bella's hand still in my firm grasp. I could feel her shaking as my venom coursed through her veins.

"MOTHER FUCKER!" My sweet Bella cursed wildly as her small body convulsed in my grasp.

My eyes flew open and I was met with the most horrifying sight I had ever seen before.

My angel lay broken and bleeding, the crimson temptation flowing freely from the heavily marred spot on her neck where I had just bit her. It didn't even resemble a bite mark! It looked as though some untamed _animal _had torn into the delicate column of her throat.

"What have I done?" I cried, horror coloring my tone as I jerked away from the sight before me, dropping Bella's hand.

"You did the right thing, Edward." Alice tried to comfort me as I quickly scrambled away from Bella's thrashing, screaming body.

"No! I destroy everything I touch! And now I have destroyed Bella, too!" I jumped up, grasping onto my hair as I pulled at it, hoping to inflict some well deserved pain on myself.

"Can I destroy that for you ma'am? Can I destroy that for you, mister?" I gestured wildly around me as I thought of different ways I could get out of here; different ways I could escape the torture that my guilt was thrusting upon me.

_No_.

What was I thinking?

Bella was here, in pain—pain that I had caused because I had acted on my selfish impulses—and I was thinking about leaving?

What type of unfeeling cad was I?

"Edward?" I heard someone walk up and stop a few feet behind me.

"What?" I growled out, trying my best to block out the thoughts of everyone as they swelled and rose in intensity and volume, bombarding my reluctant mind.

"Your sister is right; you did do the right thing." Marcus told me, his voice sounded distracted.

"What right do you have to tell me if my sister is or isn't right?" I sneered.

I knew I was being an ass. I knew I was acting like a spoilt rotted little prick. But I couldn't bring myself to stop the hateful word vomit that was spilling forth from my lips. God, I was horrible. A monster.

"I have every right, _child_." He spat right back, anger rising in his eyes. I opened my mouth to berate him for insinuating that I was a mere child when he cut me off.

"Don't you dare try to deny that you aren't a child, because, Edward, you are. Not only are you acting like one—sitting here throwing a tantrum—but I am nine hundred years your elder so don't pull the age card with me." Marcus reprimanded, staring me down with a glare that could melt the flesh off of your face.

And here I had always though that Marcus was the tame one of the three Volturi royalties.

I stand corrected.

Once again, as I opened my mouth to speak, Marcus silenced me.

"Save it. Because if you are going to bash around the room and throw your little pissy fit while the girl you claim to love is in pain, I don't want to hear a word you have to say because, quite frankly, I no longer respect you or value your words." Marcus was getting really into his argument, getting right up in my face, and not backing down. It was intimidating. "If you love her as much as you claim you do, then you would put_ her _feelings first, _her _pain first, _her _first. But, instead of that you are over here whining about being a monster and wallowing in your own shallow pool of self pity."

I had a feeling that there was some type of personal experience behind his words but I didn't want to delve into his mind because if I opened up my mind to his I would, simultaneously, be bombarded with all of my family's thought, too.

That wouldn't be pleasant.

I hung my head in defeat, knowing that Marcus was entirely right in his accusations—I really was the lowest type of self involved, egotistical cad that ever fucked up the face of this Earth.

I almost felt as though I should be down on my hands and knees in front of Bella, bowing repeatedly, chanting "I'm not worthy" like they do in the B-rated Sci-Fi alien movies.

I slowly walked back over to where Bella was still thrashing around at, Carlisle over top of her, holding her arms and legs down as he strategically placed bite marks on her wrists, ankles, and the other side of her neck so that the venom was evenly dispersed throughout her body. Carlisle had a theory that biting her more would speed up the change because she would have more venom in her body.

I took Bella's hand back in mine and grabbed up a roll of gauze off the floor by my foot. I tentatively wrapped it around the bite mark, trying to stop the bleeding, and kissed the cloth covered wound, whispering words of comfort and love as Bella screamed and cried through the invisible flames that were internally consuming her.

"Mother fucking, pussy-sucking, assholes. Son of a bitch." Bella cussed out before repeatedly chanting, "Damn. Shit. Fuck."

"Damn. Shit. Fuck…"

"Damn. Shit. Fuck…"

"Sweet fancy Moses that girl is like a sailor. I wonder who taught her how to cuss? It certainly wasn't Prudeward over here. Heavens knows even his thoughts are probably gentlemanly." Emmett snickered as he walked over to where Bella lay.

His kicked his shoe out a little and tapped the side of Bella's leg with the toe of his shoe and then stared at the spot for a good few seconds before shrugging and walking away.

Well that was strange.

I quickly dismissed it as normal Emmett-like behavior as Bella arched up off of the floor with the force of her next scream, drawing my attention back to her.

I felt useless and worthless. Not only had I been the one to inflict this pain on her but I couldn't do anything to ease what I had caused. It made me feel wretched.

"Edward I think we should move her to a bedroom or at least some where softer." Carlisle suggested quietly, whispering as though any small sound might startle Bella unnecessarily.

"Why?" I mumbled, not taking a minute to stop and think about the sense behind his words.

"Because he doesn't want his new daughter to bash her noggin open on the hard marble floor." Rosalie sighed. "Not to mention the fact that all of these zombie like vamps just standing idly around us is starting to really creep me out."

"Me, too." Alice agreed, nodding her head quickly. "I keep expecting for one of them to pop out and yell 'BOO' or something equally as startling as that."

When everyone mumbled their agreement, I easily swept Bella off of the ground and dashed out of the creepy room, running her up to the room I had been occupying for the last few weeks.

Jasper dashed to the room in front of me, opening the door and pulling down the bed sheets so that I could lay Bella down easily.

I nodded my thanks to him as I tucked my love into the pristine white sheets.

However, they didn't say white for long.

"Carlisle!" I cried out in horror as I looked down to see red splotches seeping out onto the pillow and around the upper areas of the sheet.

"What's happening?" I frantically yelled out when he rushed over.

"It is just some residual blood, Edward, no need to panic." He tried to sooth me as he double checked that he had sealed all of Bella's cut and gashes.

Once he was satisfied he walked away from the bed and went to join the rest of the family and Marcus who were sitting in the mini library, apprehensive and tensely awaiting a drastic change in Bella's condition.

"Are we going to stay here until she changes or should we be getting out of the castle as soon as possible?" I heard Esme ask.

I listened half heartedly as I crawled onto the bed and lay next to Bella like I had done all those years ago back in her small bedroom in Forks. Why couldn't things be as simple now as they were then?

"We can't move her yet. She isn't stable enough." Carlisle explained. "I don't know what extent the damage to her head was and I don't want to risk moving her more than necessary. Marcus, how long can you keep the entire guard in this emotionless state that you put them in?"

"For as long as needed. It isn't too hard to do." Marcus sounded almost happy about the fact that he was helping us out.

"What will you do when we leave? Surely Aro will be upset with you for helping us out like this." Esme worried, her thoughts briefly touching on how nice Marcus was and how he didn't deserve to be punished before her train of though drifted back to Bella.

"I think that it is time that I broadened my horizons and did something besides sit around Volterra every day and night. Maybe I will do a little exploring, check out the modernized world. I have yet to see it for myself." Marcus thought wistfully about how nice freedom would feel and how relieved he would be to be free of Aro's constant pestering and invasiveness.

"If you need a place to stay…" I heard Carlisle begin, but I tuned them out as I focused on Bella and what she needed.

Time passed slowly as I lay on the bed with her, unmoving. Her cries had gone down over the course of a few hours and now she was merely whimpering every few minutes.

I stayed completely still, only moving my hand to occasionally brush some hair out of her eyes or to press a light kiss to her forehead. I knew from the mental timer in Alice's head that we were only a little over a day into Bella's change but, already, she was showing obvious signs of physical change.

I noticed that 58 minutes ago, when I pressed a kiss to her cheek, that her body temperature had severely dropped and her skin was hardening up.

About 18 minutes ago, her heart slowed down a notch, and stuttered slightly with the new rhythm.

And just now, Bella's eyes briefly fluttered open, but seeing nothing, and I saw the faint traces of burgundy outlining the iris' of her beautiful brown eyes. They sort of reminded me of the repulsive chocolate covered cherries that women would often fuss over and declare 'amazing' usually when they were PMSing.

As much as I hated to admit it, I was warming up to the idea of Bella as a vampire.

I mean, before I liked the idea of her being eternally mine, but that was only for selfish reasons. Now I was finding that maybe this wouldn't be so bad for Bella either. Sure, there would be drawbacks, but what great thing doesn't have any?

"Edward…" Bella whispered, drawing my attention to her full lips. I could see the gleaming teeth just beyond her lips, looking like my teeth; like a vampire's teeth.

I was elated to her my name come from her lips, knowing that even though she was in pain, she was thinking of me.

So with a smile on my face I sat there for another twenty six hours as I carefully watched my once soft Bella harden and start to resemble marble and her once brown eyes become a 'candy apple red' as Rose called it, thinking back to the new Charger she had just ordered that was in red.

"It is almost time!" Alice suddenly squealed from her spot on the sofa, jumping up and dashing over to where Bella and I lay.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked carefully, not want to get my hopes up.

"She will speak in about forty nine seconds." She beamed.

"Coherently speak or just mumble again like she has been doing for the fast day or so?" Emmett asked as he lumbered over to us, a grin on his face.

"She will be completely coherent." Alice clarified as she grasped Bella's free hand in her own tiny one. "Ooh, she is really cold and hard. That will take some getting use to."

Yes, I mentally agreed with her. It would take some time in order for me to get use to the new Bella but I imagined that she would be in need of getting used to herself, too.

With everyone crowded around the bed, with waited with bated breath for Bella to speak.

"Ugh." Was the very first thing she mumbled as she shifted on the bed, easing her way back into consciousness.

"Bella?" I asked tentatively.

"Hmmm? Is that you Edward?" Her voice tinkled in a way that only vampires could manage. It was still her same sweet voice just with a slight lit to it that wasn't there before. It was cute.

"Yes, love, I am here." I smiled and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose as her eyes fluttered open, the pools of rubies looking into my topaz ones.

"Hi." She mumbled.

"Hey." I smiled back and hugged her to me.

All was well. All definitely was well.

* * *

A/N: Alright, the Quote Hunt is from O.S.I. (Office of Strategic Influence).

Go! Find it!

Bonus points if you can find the Seinfeld reference.

Well, I am super bored right now. (There is nothing on TV, it is raining on the beach, and my friends are sleeping off hangovers so I am sitting in the hotel's computer room typing my GIA. HA! I know, I am a loser.) So go add my MySpace so we can chat. OR, even better, ask me a question in a review and I will answer because I really feel like sharing odd details about my life. So, go, ask away.

On another note, I might be posting a few One-Shots that I have written in moments of extreme boredom when my GIA thought well ran dry. Don't hold me to that though. I am not exactly confident in them. But a few of them could possibly lead into actual stories. I don't really know. But they are lemony good because GIA and its 'T' rating is starting to piss me off. I want to post smut!

Much love,

Grand Master C

(Haha! Gabriel!)


	29. Its A New Life

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. However, I do own some ridiculous allergies to pollen. It is driving me insane!

A/N: "I'm on fire and now I think I'm ready to bust a move!" Ha! Alright so I am ridiculously happy that it is Easter. I don't know why but this is one of my favorite Holidays. Chocolate bunnies… Marshmallow Peeps… Little 6 pound 8 ounce Baby Jesus! (Where have we heard that one before?)

So, I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this chapter but I really wanted to give you guys a "Happy Easter!" present and I couldn't very well make you all goody baskets now could I?

I am sending out my love to REDRUM who not only sent me a ridiculously awesome review but she also threw in a bunch of cyber roses!! MWAH! I send you cyber kisses, sweetie.

Indulge your curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX!

* * *

"It's a new dawn  
It's a new day  
It's a new life  
For me…  
And I'm feeling good."

--"Feeling Good" by Muse

Twenty-Six

BPOV

_Previously on GIA (EPOV):_

"_Hmmm? Is that you Edward?" Her voice tinkled in a way that only vampires could manage. It was still her same sweet voice just with a slight lit to it that wasn't there before. It was cute._

"_Yes, love, I am here." I smiled and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose as her eyes fluttered open, the pools of rubies looking into my topaz ones._

"_Hi." She mumbled._

"_Hey." I smiled back and hugged her to me._

_All was well. All definitely was well_.

BPOV

It must have been an eternity that I lay there enduring the pain but at the same time it felt like it was over before it started.

I had spent the last few hours—or was it days; maybe even weeks—picturing and reliving different scenarios with Edward always as the star of them.

I took the time to analyze everything that had happened between us from the first time I saw him sitting across the small cafeteria of Forks High School and all the way up to the last clear memory I had of him whispering "I love you" as he bent towards my neck.

Well, at least I had figured out why I was in so much pain.

I knew it must have been hard for him to bite me. I had clearly been able to see the conflicting emotions raging in his eyes during the moments before he bit me.

I had seen the longing he felt, no doubt due to the fact that he liked the idea of me being with him for eternity. He thought that his feelings on the matter were secret but it was painfully obvious that he did, in fact, like the idea of me being like him.

But there is always a flip side to every coin.

The other emotion I could decipher from his eyes was the fear. I had almost laughed at the irrational basis of his fear. Without even thinking about it I could tell you that Edward was scared of what would happen if he did go through with it and change me.

The silly boy probably thought that I would hate him or something equally as absurd as that.

That was why I had told him that I was his and that I supported him with any decision that he made. I had needed to clear the air between us and assure him that I was not going to hate him if he changed me and that I was not completely turned off by the idea of being a vampire and being with him.

But, of course, since he is Edward, I would bet every car I owned that he was off throwing some pissy fit about being a monster or not making the right decision. He was just too damn predictable some times.

I tried to strain my ears to hear if I was indeed right and Edward was having a breakdown somewhere near by but as soon as I even thought about trying to listen in a jolt of pain would shock my ear drums and any thought about trying to listen again would fly out the window.

I figured that my change was coming to an end when the burning feelings that had been shooting through my body for the last long while ebbed and receded slowly like the tides of the ocean.

I felt as though some kind-hearted person had tossed a tub of cool water over the fire in an effort to put it out.

As my body cooled I noticed that I could still feel my heart thump-thumping away in my chest as though it thought that if it pumped fast enough that it would somehow manage to get away from the venom spreading towards it.

_Silly heart, _I wanted to laugh at it. _Pumping faster is only going to make the venom get to you faster._

I could swear that I felt the venom that was flowing towards my heart, undeterred and burning everything in its path just like Sherman when he marched to the sea. Except in this case, my heart was the destination and the venom was the one doing the marching and burning.

An odd sense of nausea rolled over me as I felt the venom's flames lap at the edges of my quickly beating heart, almost as if they were teasing it.

It was oddly ironic.

I felt as though the venom, being the predator, was just playing around me, being the prey, as though this was some big game and the hunter wanted to see just how far he could push the hunted before I snapped.

But, then again, hadn't Edward once declared himself the world's best predator?

Like I said, it was ironic.

With one last leap, trying to not go out without at least putting up a fight, my heart was overcome by the flames of the venom as it swiftly devoured and demolished everything in one fell sweep.

And then the thump thumping stopped.

And for the first time in a long time all was silent.

I almost felt a sense of loss at the fact that my heart would no longer beat for me and the other human attributes I would lose too. But the list was short and pointless because the gains far outweighed the cons.

With the ceasing of my heart beat I gained immortality which allowed me to be with the Cullens forever, I gained grace and strength so that I could walk without tripping and everyone I loved didn't have to think twice about their actions in an effort to not crush me, and lastly, I gained Edward.

Forever.

If that wasn't reason enough to get over the loss of some of the minor mundane aspects of my previous life, then I don't know what was.

But I easily forgot about those losses and basked in the euphoria of my revelation. I get Edward!

I lay still for another moment or two, double checking that I had my wits about me and the all-consuming fire from Hell truly was gone, before I decided that it was probably safe to move around a little without risking another onslaught of physically painful attacks from the venom.

I groaned slightly at the feeling as I shifted my body around, stretching the odd kinks out of my back as I noted that I was lying on something warm and soft, not at all like the cold, hard marble floor that I had been on before.

I made a mental note to thank whoever moved me.

"Bella?" I heard the most beautiful voice call out. I immediately knew it was Edward's but I was so shocked by the clarity with witch I could hear it that I had to double check to make sure.

"Hmmm? Edward is that you?" I mumbled out, noticing that even my voice had changed a little. I was a little frightened about the prospect of looking in a mirror and seeing just how much the rest of me had changed, too.

"Yes, love, I am here." His voice danced over me as his soft lips pressed a feather light kiss to my nose and I couldn't resist the temptation to open my eyes and look at Edward with the clarity of my new vision.

And when I did open my eyes, I was not disappointed with the sight before me.

Edward was as flawless as ever, but all of the times I had looked at him before I had never really been seeing him until now. I was able to pick out the light flecks of brown and red in his eyes—no doubt from taking in some of my blood when he bit me—as he looked happily down at me.

Edward's hair was still its messy bronze color but I could see the fact that the strands in the front were a lighter sort or reddish blond color while the rest of his hair had more of a red-brown tinge to it.

It was adorable,

"Hi." I smiled up at him.

"Hey." He whispered back at me as he wrapped his strong arms around me hugged me tightly to his chest, crushing me to him tighter than he had ever been able to do before.

It was a fantastic feeling to be able to be hugged close to Edward like this without having to be worried about being crushed. I relished in the feeling of every inch of his long, lanky body pressed up against my own, the closeness was so relaxing.

Just think of all the things that we could do with this closeness…!

"Bella I want a hug, too." Alice's light flitting voice squealed from beside me as she tugged on my hand but I made no move to acknowledge her or let go of Edward and he didn't seem to want to let go of me either.

"Their bond is so strong." I heard Marcus mumble to himself.

I opened my eyes to see all of the Cullens and Marcus smiling at me from over Edward's shoulder. My family.

I mouthed a silent "Hi" at them and smiled.

Esme squealed and started excitedly swinging her and Carlisle's back and for the between them and the two of them beamed at me. Jasper was laughing from what I assume was the swell of emotions that were rocketing through the room, especially from the giddy Alice who was still clutching at my hand.

Rose and Marcus were smiling tentatively at me as an over eager Emmett, standing between the two of them, waved happily at me with a huge grin plastered on his face making me break into a fit of giggles.

"Bella, Bella, Bella…" Edward mumbled into my hair. "I love you so much."

"I know." I laughed feeling lighter than ever before like I had a freaking holiday going on in my head.

Edward pulled back from his hug and propped himself up on his elbows, looking down on me with a hurt expression on his face.

"What?" I asked wondering what I had done to put the look on Edward's beautiful face. I reached a hand up and softly stroked his cheek, watching as he closed his eyes and pressed his cheek into my palm.

"Do you not love me, too?" He asked playfully but I could hear the doubt behind his light tone.

_And cue the insecurities._

"Yes I do! Why the hell wouldn't I?" I asked as I let my hand travel from his smooth cheek into his soft hair.

"No reason." He mumbled before something pulled him away from me and threw him across the room.

Emmett laughed a deep belly laugh before turning back to me and hauling me up into his arms for a huge bear hug.

"Squirt! I thought I was never going to get my turn with Eddie-boy mooning all of the new and improved you. And may I be the first to say that you look damn hot." He informed me as he swung me in circles while still squeezing me in his death hug.

"Thanks Emmett I appreciate it." I laughed out when he finally placed me on the floor, grabbing my shoulders slightly when I swayed, trying to get accustomed to my new legs.

"Whoa there, Bells. It seems you are still clumsy as a vampire." His booming laugh filled the room when I stumbled a little when I tried to take a step.

"I would appreciate that the next time you decide you want to hug her that you don't resort to throwing me across the room in order to do so." Edward growled at Emmett as he made his way back over to my side.

"Sorry brother but I wanted to give Bells a hug and you were hogging her!" Emmett whined childishly.

"You could have waited your turn." Edward replied coolly.

"No, you would not have let go any time soon and don't even try to deny it because everyone knows that it is true." Emmett ruthlessly teased Edward with a big shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

"Eventually I would have."

"Ha! Maybe in a hundred years!"

"Hey! Let's not argue over me like I'm not here!" I cried, interrupting their banter.

"Squirt, did you want to hug me?" Emmett asked with puppy dog eyes and a pout I couldn't ignore.

"Yes I did." I answered but before Emmett could cheer I continued. "But I also didn't appreciate you ripping Edward off of me."

"Sorry, buddy." Emmett apologized sheepishly.

"You are forgiven!" I smiled at him and gave him another quick hug.

"You are still clumsy." He repeated his statement from earlier, bringing on another round of laughter.

I was in the middle of trying to kill him with my glare when little pixie arms and another pair of softer arms wrapped around me.

"Bella you are beautiful!" Alice cried out and Esme nodded her consent as the two of them took their turns hugging me and gushing over my "good looks" which I still had yet to see.

Everyone took their turns hugging me; even Jasper hugged me, welcoming me to the family and telling me that it would be a pleasure to be able to get to know me.

Rosalie even came up to me.

"Bella, I truly am happy that Edward made the decision to change you." She told me before pulling me into a light hug, quickly releasing me.

It wasn't as gushy and personal as everyone else's hugs but it was significantly more important. Now I just had to tread carefully in an attempt to not give her a reason to be pissed at me again.

Marcus hugged me too telling me how happy he was that I was all right. I was touched by his caring tone.

"How do you feel, Bella?" Carlisle asked once everyone had finished their little hug-fest.

"I feel great!" I exclaimed as I flexed my fingers staring wonderingly at them as I tried to comprehend how much strength and power I now had.

With a chuckled Carlisle nodded at me as though he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Do you feel thirsty?" Marcus asked carefully.

I hadn't noticed it before but when he brought the subject to my attention, suddenly my throat was burning with what I could only assume to be my thirst.

I must have had a pained expression on my face because Edward stepped forward and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"It is to be expected, love. Every newborn experiences it when they first wake up. How about we go find you something to drink?" He suggested lightly as he tugged on my shoulder, pulling me towards the door.

I froze on the spot as I realized what that would entail.

"Bella?" Edward called worriedly as I stared unseeingly at the door in front of me.

"Bella you need to tell me what is wrong. I can't fix it if I don't know what the matter it." Edward spoke in soothing tones as he rubbed circles on my back and shoulders.

"I-I have to kill something?" I whispered.

A pained expression crossed Edward's face before someone started laughing.

I glanced over, horrified that someone found humor in this, only to find Marcus laughing freely as he looked at me with the mirth clear in his eyes.

"Bella, may I remind you that you have already killed. So why do you fear it now?" He pointed out.

"Oh." I recalled the terrible experience that I had suffered through in Australia when I had had to rip the newborn vampire to pieces.

"Not to mention that you ripped Caius' arm off without a second thought and slapped him with it. I am sure that you can handle killing a little deer or something like that, Bella." Marcus continued to list more reasons why this shouldn't bother me.

It was making me feel a lot better, surprisingly.

"I meant to congratulate you on that, too." He laughed a little more. "I have never seen anything better in my life than when you slapped him wit his own damn arm. I bow down to your bravery. I have wanted to do something to shut him up for the past nine centuries!"

His words reminded me that we were still in the castle and I had no idea where any one else was.

"Where are Aro and Caius?" I asked curiously, looking around at the Cullens waiting for an explanation.

"They are… uh… incapacitated at the moment." Alice told me with a small grin. I decided that I really didn't want to know anything more about the situation so I let the subject drop.

"So…are we going to go hunting?" I cautiously asked, still slightly repulsed by the idea but I knew that it was necessary if I wanted to get rid of the burning feeling that was scorching my throat, protesting every breath I took.

"Of course we are. Do you think you can do it?" Emmett challenged me, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Do you doubt that I can do it?" I snorted at him.

"Yes, I actually do." Emmett looked upon me doubtfully.

"Well, I bet that I can." I retorted, not wanting to lose this.

"You are on, Squirt."

"She will fit in just fine in this family." I heard Esme whisper to Carlisle behind me with a small giggle. And her words made me grin stupidly. I had a family that I got to keep forever. This was going to be great.

* * *

A/N: The Quote Hunt is a Smash Mouth song! GO, find it!

Hope you enjoyed the light happy chapter. The next few ones will be happy, too. Everyone needed a break for a while!

Oh, and I know how a lot of stories have Bella being all "Super-Vamp" (cue sarcastic air quotes) when she is changed, making her impervious to the call of blood and such. Well, if you are looking for that, do NOT look in this story. There _will_ be bloodlust; there _will_ be problems; all because Bella _is _a newborn vampire. She is not going to morph into Spiderman and magically shoot webbing out of her wrist or something equally absurd as that, okay? She is just a normal newborn coping with normal newborn problems not some anomaly to the vampire world as we know it. However, that doesn't mean that she doesn't have a power… just putting that out there for you.

Oh, and the next chapter is written, I just haven't sent it to be Betaed. It is ridiculously long for one of my chapters. I think it is over 7,500 words of pure, unadulterated FLUFF. I personally think it is my favorite chapter so far. So, make me happy and you might get it before next Monday!

Oh, and the Cullens are getting new cars. And me being the car buff that I am, you KNOW they are going to be fast, sleek, and fucking dangerous. Well… except Esme. She gets a mom car because I honestly can't see her driving a '61 Plymouth or Chevelle.

ADD MY MYSPACE! Link on the profile page!

Much love,

Grand Master C.

(You know you like it.)


	30. Aureate

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Simple as that. Don't believe me? Ask SM, she will say "Chey? Who is that? I own Twilight!"

This is going to be a long A/N: Let us begin.

SORRY! SORRY! So sorry.

So… I had this chapter all typed up and read back at the very beginning of April and it was supposed to be posted last Monday. Unfortunately, some crazy stuff happened and this chapter was lost in the great Cyber Cemetery that exists somewhere inaccessible to me. I had thought that this chapter was lost forever until my kick ass beta popped up and said "Here is your chapter!" I sing her praise. You should too. Go worship her; her link is on my profile.

On another point: I am sort of nervous about this chapter. While it is one of my favorite chapters (besides the whole "yell and then make up" chapter) it sort of choppy and a little dull in places, but it is ALL important. So please don't say "this was boring" or "are you trying to put me to sleep?!" Erg. After a shit week, I don't want to hear that. I will probably end up hating you or something. Just know that it is necessary and if it wasn't choppy, it would be even more boring and like 80 trillion pages long.

Now that I have gotten that out, read and review nicely!

Indulge your curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.

* * *

"Mister! Look at your girl, she loves it!  
I can see it in her eyes.  
She hopes this lasts forever."

--"She Wants to Move" by N.E.R.D.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

BPOV

"You know, for a vampire you still move awfully slow." Emmett teased as he ran beside me.

I ignored his jabs as I let the feeling of freedom wash over me. It felt great. I had never exactly been a runner in my life due to the fact that walking alone was a challenge.

But I found this type of running easy; natural.

Not once did I stutter or falter as I let my legs fly deftly over the ground, barely making an imprint in the mud with every step I took. I felt like I was flying.

When we had left the rooms and made our way out to the woods about half an hour ago, the Cullens and Marcus took the time to explain to me what exactly Marcus had done to stop everyone and prevent me from being killed when I first had passed out.

I had to admit, I was impressed. I didn't know the old bag had it in him.

Of course I had thanked him profusely and ran off to go see what an emotionless Aro looked like.

That, of course, was where I encountered my first speed bump in the road of vampirism.

When I had thoughtlessly run into the execution room I hadn't taken into account the fact that Edward had bitten me in here, not to mention I had also bashed my head open pretty well too. There had been a pool of my own blood still on the ground where I had passed out.

It wasn't fresh by any means; on the contrary, it was all but dried up. But that sure as hell didn't stop me from loosing my head as soon as I caught a whiff of the intoxicating scent. How did Edward manage not to kill me? I smelled pretty damn good.

I was embarrassed beyond belief when Emmett and Jasper had pinned me down and carried me out of the room while I snapped at their arms and tried to get away.

Dear God, I had just tried to lick _my_ _own blood _off of the floor.

That was pretty twisted.

Carlisle had immediately ordered Emmett and Jasper to carry me outside to get some fresh air so that I could get my wits about be and clear my head.

I had wanted to die once I had realized what I had done. It was mortifying.

When Jasper had sensed my embarrassment he had laughed at me and assured me that it wasn't anything unusual and that he had seen newborns do far more repulsive things than what I had almost done back there.

Edward had come out a minute later announcing that floors were clean of any trace of blood and that if I really wanted to go in there I could do so now.

I vehemently declined and demanded that as soon as everyone came outside that we were going to hunt. I needed to redeem myself.

And that is how I found myself running hand in hand with Edward through the beautiful forests of Italy as Emmett made constant jokes about me and being a vampire.

I had always thought of Italy as a beautiful country with stunning scenery and landscaping. But looking at it as a human and then looking at it as a vampire was so different that it was shocking. It was as though I was Dorothy and I had just landed in the little town with all of the colorful munchkins in it.

Only difference?

Thankfully no one was singing obnoxious songs about lollipops and dead witches.

Small gifts.

I was broken out of my train of thought when Edward squeezed my hand lightly and smiled over at me as we ran.

"I want you to take a deep breath, Bella." He commanded as we slowed to a stop in the middle of an orchard.

I nodded at him, not sure exactly why he wanted me to sniff the air, but I did it anyways. As soon as I had inhaled my first gulp of air, an incredible smell washed over my senses, blocking out everything around me and halting in and all trains of thought—which I had quite a few thoughts running through my head at once due to the new space my brain now had.

I felt my eyes narrow into slits as I slinked down into a slight crouch, the instinct of the animal in me took charge and lead me forwards at a blinding speed as I stalked the source of that outstanding scent.

I made it to a small little stream, not even thinking twice as I hurtled myself over the shallow bed of water, landing softly on the ground on the other side as I pushed my body forwards again, not really aware of the fact that everyone else was trailing me.

I had one focus and one focus alone.

The scent was getting stronger and I paused for a moment, taking another deep breath as I took in the heady aroma.

I pushed forwards again as I quickly found myself closing in upon a wild boar. I swiftly jumped onto the creature's back and sank my teeth into its thick neck, reveling in the taste of the thick liquid as if coated my throat and sated my thirst.

When the animal was dry as a bone, I dropped the carcass and took a step back from it. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, almost like they were expecting me to break down suddenly at the sheer fact that I had killed the boar.

Maybe I could surprise them a little.

I turned my attention to them and flashed my razor sharp teeth in their direction. "Well that wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be." I laughed a little at my joke and poked the dear boar with my toe to make sure it really was dead. I didn't want some odd vampire boar running around Italy.

"You did great, Bella." Edward told me as he stepped forwards and pulled me into a hug. "You handled it like a pro. I knew you could do it."

"That is, honestly, something I never thought I would be congratulated on in my life. 'Congrats on killing that animal, Bella. You did a mighty fine job.'" I joked, trying to use a southern accent but butchering it terribly.

"My God! You have officially spoiled the south for me." Jasper moaned as he jokingly ran a hand over his face in mock despair.

"You are welcome." I gave him a slight smile before a breeze blew through the river and trees, carrying with it the scent of more animals.

"Shall we?" Edward smiled, knowing what I was thinking and offering me his arm.

"We shall." And with that I took his arm and we raced off towards my second kill of the day.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Is it possible for a vampire to drink too much?" I moaned as I plopped down on the couch in Esme and Carlisle's room, my stomach sloshing uncomfortably all the while.

"It is common for newborns to drink too much their first time out. It's because you haven't gotten use to how much your body can consume. Don't worry though, you will figure it out quickly, you are a smart girl." Carlisle smiled at me as he and Esme pulled out their suitcases and started packing their belongings.

"Thanks." I muttered sarcastically as I rolled over on the couch, pressing my face into one of the throw pillows.

Next time I needed to remember to pace myself.

"Bella?" I heard Edward call my name.

I looked up to see my personal Greek god walk in with his already packed duffel bag in hand.

"Do you want to take anything that you have here with you?" He asked as he tossed his bag into the growing pile of luggage that Alice had already started. "Or do you want to leave it all here and start over new?"

"Huh? What do you mean by "taking" stuff with me? Where am I going?" I guess my stomach was affecting my brain functions because I was missing the obvious.

"You can't expect Marcus to keep the Volturi frozen like they are for forever, can you? We need to leave while we can and get as far away as possible." He explained as he plopped down on the sofa beside me. The movement caused the couch to shift and my stomach lurched again.

"I understand." I moaned. "I thought vampires didn't get sick."

"We do if we drink too much." He teased as he lifted me off of the couch and carried me out of the room, heading down the hall towards mine.

When we got to the door, I reached out and opened it before Edward could do anything about it. I figured since I was already being carried I might as well make myself useful in any way I could find.

"Do you want to keep anything?" Edward asked again as he set me down in the middle of the room that I had called mine for the past few years.

I had to think about it for a minute. _Did I really want to keep any of this?_ I asked myself as I looked around the pretty much empty room. But then I caught sight of a pair of shoes that Heidi had gushed about for weeks before I let her buy them for me. The shoes were important to her.

I was definitely keeping some things.

Even though I hadn't exactly enjoyed the time that I spent working for the Volturi, I couldn't deny the fact that there were times that I truly enjoyed my stay here. If I told anyone, they would call me crazy and laugh at me, but it was the truth.

"Yeah, there are a few things I want to keep." I told Edward as I walked over to my bed and ducked under it, pulling out the ridiculously expensive Louis Vuitton monogram suitcases that Felix had bought me last year when we were all going on a "vacation" to Germany.

It had so sweet of him—seeing as I already had a bunch of luggage but he had insisted that I needed special ones with my name on them. I just couldn't leave them behind. It would be rude of me. Especially if he were to find that them after I had left.

No, definitely taking them with me.

I laid out all of the suitcases in various places on the floor and opened them so that I could easily do a little throw-as-I-go packing job. I really wanted to get out of Volterra as fast as possible.

"You stand out here and just catch whatever I throw out at you, okay?" I told Edward as I maneuvered through the pile of suitcases and into my closet.

It took us the better part of an hour—even with the amazing perks that come with vampire speed—to finish my packing. In the end I decided on keeping all of the shoes and handbags (per request of Alice and Rose since we all wore pretty much the same shoe size), I ended up giving most of my clothing to Alice and Rose since most of it was too dressy and flamboyant for my tastes, however there were a few things that I really liked and Edward had his favorites, too, so I kept some of the clothes.

When I was cleaning out the drawers in the back of my closet, I stumbled across the drawers that I had stuffed full of the jewelry that Aro had bestowed upon me over the years. There were vintage necklaces dating all the way back to the early dynasties of China. My small collection was priceless and truly beautiful. I didn't want to leave the baubles behind either.

I walked out of my closet with a fistful of beautiful, antique pendants and rings in my fist as I looked around for a jewelry case that I could stash them in so that they wouldn't roll all over my suitcases and get tangled together.

"Bella, those are beautiful." Esme exclaimed as she quickly came over to examine a few of the necklaces.

"Thank you." I smiled as she fingered a particularly thick white gold chain with a large gold cylinder shaped pendant hanging horizontally on the chain. It has a scrolling Celtic design over its surface with small, deep purple amethysts set into the design. It was simple yet attention drawing and just screamed "Esme!"

"You like the Celtic style jewelry?" I asked her as I easily slipped the chain out of the pile and dug through the rings that I had shoved onto my fingers until I found the matching one.

"Yes!" She exclaimed happily as she got a glazed over look in her eyes. "One of my favorite places that we have lived was in a manor in the Irish countryside. It was so beautiful out there. There were bright blue lakes with green field filled with the most exotic wildflowers."

"It sounds beautiful." I smiled at her, reaching out and taking her hand in mine. I carefully took the ring—I had to really focus on what I was doing because I didn't want to crush the delicate ring—and slipped it onto a finger on Esme's right hand while she was still taking a trip down memory lane.

The cool metal against her marble skin must have alerted Esme to what was going on.

Her eyes widened when she saw the beautiful sitting delicately on her finger, the purple amethysts glinting from where they were nestled in the intricate weavings of the white gold designs. When I set the pile of jewelry down on the dresser next to us and pulled out the matching necklace that she had been admiring at first, she started shaking her head, and she made a move to pull the ring off of her finger.

"No," I smiled at her as I pushed her hands down and unclasped the necklace. "I want you to have this." I told her as I walked around her so that I could clasp it for her.

Once the necklace was firmly secured around Esme's slender neck, I walked back around so that I was standing in front of her.

Seeing the look of wonder and thanks on her face made me feel good about myself, knowing that I put that look there. It reminded me why I loved doing things for people.

"I cannot accept this." She said quietly as she fingered the necklace, holding the ring and the pendant side by side. Her words may be saying "no" but her actions were telling me differently.

"You can and you will." I stated simply, sounding like all the people who, over the years, had forced gifts upon me. I almost chuckled at the irony. "I already let Alice and Rose paw through all of my other belongings and take whatever they want—which, by the way, feel free to do that, too—so this is the least I can do. Plus it suits you." I smiled as I gestured to the gems.

"Thank you, Bella." Esme cooed as she quickly pulled me into a big hug, clutching me to her. "This is beautiful."

"You are welcome." I laughed, placing a quick peck on her cool cheek before I hugged her back just as forcefully as she had hugged me.

I glanced over her shoulder to see Carlisle standing there with a small smile on his face. He shot me a wink before grabbing on of the packed suitcases and quickly left the room.

"I have so much jewelry and pointless baubles that Aro gave me," I told Esme when we broke our hug. "I don't know if I will ever get the chance to wear it all."

I walked in and pulled out another drawer full of gems and Esme's eyes lit up as she looked at them.

"I wouldn't worry about that, honey. I am sure that I could help you use them all." She looked up me with a devious glint in her eyes.

I shook my head and laughed at her as we sorted through the jewels, placing them into different containers. At one point I pulled out a huge silver locket that was reflective like a mirror. I held it up for closer examination, trying to figure out what category to file it under, when I caught sight of what I _assumed _to be me in the reflective metal.

"Oh, shit." I cursed as I quickly dropped the locket.

"What is it sweetie?" Esme asked as she appeared suddenly by my side.

"Is that me?" I asked, my voice sounded small and almost terrified to my ears.

"I almost forgot that you have yet to see what the 'New You' looks like. Why don't you go take a look? I am sure you won't be disappointed." She shot me a smile and pulled me to my feet.

I was almost hesitant to see the new me. I don't exactly know why, I just was a little on edge about how I would look. Would I still look like myself? Would I be as beautiful as the rest of the Cullens were? Or would I be a freak of the vampire world? From the glimpse of myself I had caught in the locket, I knew that my eyes were definitely different—I was sporting ruby red gems for eyes—but I didn't look past the eyes.

"Wait," I pulled on Esme's hand to stop her from going any farther.

"What is it, dear? Are you nervous? You have no reason to be, you are stunning!" Esme gave me a reassuring smile.

"No… well, yeah I am nervous, but I feel like Edward should be here for this. I don't know why… it is just a feeling I guess." I looked down in embarrassment, feeling foolish as soon as the words left my mouth.

"Aw, that makes perfect sense. Don't be embarrassed, I think it is sweet." Esme patted the top of my hand lightly.

A pair of arms wound around my waist and pulled me close, as Edward leaned down and breathed in my ear.

"I think it is more than sweet." He whispered as he hugged me close to his chest. "I love that you would want me to be here for this."

"And I love you." I smiled at him over my shoulder, placing a small little kiss on his cheek.

I turned back around to say something Esme, but she wasn't there anymore.

"She left to give us…"

"Some privacy, I know." I finished Edward's sentence for him, remembering when I first met his family how they had left to give us privacy when I had come over. The memory was foggy—as was every other human memory I had retained—but I could still understand it.

"You ready to see yourself?" Edward asked carefully as he slowly walked us forwards towards the bathroom.

"STOP!" Alice cried as she hurtled her small body through my door, launching herself in front of Edward and I so that she could block our path to the bathroom.

"What do you want Alice." Edward growled at her, obviously pissed that she had interrupted our "moment."

"You are going to let her use a _bathroom mirror _for her first peek at herself? No! Let's take her to Heidi's closet so that she can get the full effect with the floor-to-ceiling mirrors." Alice shot out at rapid fire, grabbing onto my hand with the same speed she spoke with and pulled Edward and I out of my room.

We were in front of Heidi/my closet in under a second since we utilized the new found speed which, by the way, was just about the most awesome thing I had ever experienced in my life besides kissing Edward… hugging Edward… being around Edward…

"Bella, what do you think?" Alice asked hesitantly, pulling me out of my thoughts. If I still had any blood pumping through my veins, I would be bright red.

I was about to ask her what she meant when I looked straight ahead and saw… _me?_

In the mirror I could see that my hair was still long and brown, per usual, but there were brighter streaks of red and gold shooting through the strands. Not to mention that my hair was also shinier and neater than I had ever managed, making it look as though I had just stepped out of a salon.

_Now I know how Alice and Rose keep their hair so perfect no matter what the weather is._

I hesitantly ran my fingers through the long strands reveling in the soft feel of it and the faint strawberry scent of my lingering shampoo.

My face looked the same as before, yet, at the same time, it looked completely different. The baby fat that had still been on my face was gone, showcasing strong cheekbones and delicately feminine features. My lips were still ridiculously over sized, but they seemed to belong on my face now. My skin was paler and smoother, any blemishes that I had before were long gone.

My eyes were what startled me the most. My eyelashes seemed to have thickened and darkened, making it look like I was wearing mascara. I drug on of my hands down from my hair and ran it over my eyelashes, cringing when I pulled my hand away to find black goop coating my fingers.

"You put mascara on me?" I turned to Alice with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah… well… I was already cleaning you up and changing your clothes out of those bloody ones so I figured that I should go ahead and freshen you up a bit." She gave me an innocent smile before darting out of the room.

I rolled my eyes before I went back to my examination.

_Where was I? Oh yeah…_

I focused in on my eyes again, examining the vibrant redness of my irises. It was terrifying, yet beautiful at the same time. They were, without a doubt, my favorite part of the change. I was getting tired of brown eyes.

"So… what do you think?" Edward asked hesitantly. I turned around to see him hovering around the door of the room with a wary expression on his face almost as if he expected me to make a run for it.

"Actually I don't think I look too terribly different than before. It is really just the eyes that made a drastic change." I shrugged and shot him a timid smile.

"Do the eyes bother you? I know that some newborns go crazy because they are so freaked out by their eyes." Edward came closer to me, stroking my cheek with his back of his hand.

"Truthfully?" I asked. "I think the eyes are my favorite part. They make me look ferocious and a force to be reckoned with. Plus the color is pretty interesting. It reminds me of my mom's car." I rambled on trying to justify why I liked my eye coloring so that I wouldn't sound insane.

Edward chucked lightly at my little rant and shook his head. "I understand, love, I liked my eye color too at first. You will have to give it up soon. In about a year, you remember that, right?"

"Yeah, I remember. I would say that this is going to be an awesome year but, honestly, the future freaks me out!" I smiled at him as he laughed at me a pulled me into a hug.

"As long as my future is with you I don't care what it brings." Edward pulled out his charm, full force, and unleashed it on me.

"Aw… you are such a kiss ass." I patted his cheek lightly, laughing at the shocked expression on his face.

"Have you finished packing?" He asked as he ran a hand mindlessly through my hair, having quickly recovered from his previous shock.

"I just have a few more things to shove into my bags. Then I am going to leave a message for everyone so that whenever Marcus unfreezes them they will know what happened and what I expect of them." I told Edward as we made our way back to my room to grab the rest of the suitcases. "Plus I want to grab the keys to the storage shed that I have out in Western Europe. Over the years I have stored some things there that I wanted to keep away from Aro and company."

"Do you think it is wise to leave a message like that?" Edward asked as he zipped up a suitcase full of shirts.

"Of course. I will just embellish a little and tell them that I have some super nifty power that can wipe them all out if they even think about coming after us. I don't know… something to scare them." I chuckled a little at the thought of lying about having an awesome power.

"_You _are going to lie?" Emmett laughed as he came in to grab a pile of luggage.

"Hush up. It isn't technically lie because for all we know I could have some type of power that will take everyone out in the blink of an eye." I wiggled my fingers at Emmett as he laughed and walked out of the room lugging a pile of suitcases behind him.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I think that is everything." Alice said as she finished organizing the last pile of luggage.

I stood back and looked around at the huge piles of luggage that were filling the floors of Carlisle and Esme's room. It was slightly ridiculous how much luggage we all had combined together.

"Don't planes give you a limit on how much you can take on a plane?" I asked, pretty sure that we were over and far beyond the carrying capacity of everyone on a plane.

"Bella, I don't think it would be wise to take a plane." Carlisle said gently.

"Why not?" I asked, confused as to why we couldn't take a plane. How else were they planning on getting home?

"Well, considering you are a newborn and you can't be trusted—sorry, don't take offense to that—to control you bloodlust around humans for a short period of time, let alone ten straight hours in tight quarters, I don't think it would be wise if we were to take you on a plane just yet." He explained, his tone was light and apologetic.

"No, no, I understand. Sorry, I just wasn't thinking." I shot him a small smile. "So how are we going to get out of here, and where are we going?"

"I want to go to New Zealand!" Alice cheered.

"That involves a plane, sweetie." Esme quietly reminded Alice as she mindlessly toyed with the Celtic jewelry that I had given her.

"Hey, Esme?" I asked. "Didn't you say you have a place in Ireland?"

"Oh that is a beautiful idea, Bella. We don't have to take a plane to get there either. We could easily take a cute little ferry over and see the coast. That would be fantastic!" Esme got a dreamy look in her eyes as she looked over at Carlisle pulling out a pout.

"She is right, that would be beautiful. I haven't seen the Irish Manor yet, but from what I have heard from them it is lovely." Rose commented as she swung her legs back and forth from where she sat on top of a large trunk of shoes.

"Then it is settled, I will call ahead and have them clean up the place before we get there." Carlisle smiled before pulling out his cell phone and walking out of the room.

"What are we going to do about Marcus?" Jasper asked, reminding me of the fact that Marcus had saved me and I hadn't seen him since Jasper and Emmett had dragged me out of the Execution room this morning.

"Where is he at?" I asked, trying to use my new super-hearing to see if I could figure out where he was.

"He is in his office packing a few things. I don't think he is planning on staying either." Edward answered for me.

"I don't blame the poor bastard. I would want to leave, too." Emmett shared as he switched on the PlayStation one last time before we left.

"Should we invite him to come with us until he figures out where to go?" Esme asked, no doubt planning another room just for him.

"I don't think he will accept but it couldn't hurt to do so. He did, after all, help us out of a particularly sticky situation." Edward agreed.

"Alright, the house should be ready by tomorrow afternoon." Carlisle announced as he came back through the door, flipping his phone shut.

"Yay! Let's go! I have only seen this place in visions and now I am excited to see it in person!" Alice exclaimed as she literally vibrated up and down on the balls of her feet.

"I know, I can feel your excitement." Jasper chuckled as he placed a hand on little Alice's shoulder, calming her slightly.

"How are we going to get all of this," Emmett gestured at all of the luggage with one hand while the other stayed firmly attached to the gaming control, "All the way over to Ireland?"

"We could rent a jet." Rose suggested.

"We could FedEx it." Edward suggested as Jasper sent him a questioning look.

"Do they have FedEx here?" He asked.

"Hell if I know." Edward shrugged, at a loss for any other suggestions.

"We could always take all of their cars while they are… incapacitated. You know, pay back and new cars all in one." I suggested, knowing that I didn't want to leave my cars behind, not to mention that I knew the others had their eyes on a few of the other cars out there.

"YES!" Rose yelled, jumping off of the trunk. "Dibs on driving your Enzo."

Everyone nodded in agreement and started talking about which cars they were taking about if there were too many cars and not enough of us that we could always check to see if there really was a FedEx or UPS delivery service to ship them over to the Manor.

"That was a great idea, love." Edward said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"Eh," I shrugged. "I sort of did it for myself so that I could keep my cars… especially the McLaren. I cannot leave it here!"

"We can take the McLaren together. I am sure that I can convince Esme or Carlisle to take the Carving Concept." Edward smiled down at me.

"Thank you!" I laughed as I grabbed an armload of suitcases, surprising myself again when I realized just how much I could carry—it would take a while to get use to that!—and raced down to the garage.

It took us about ten minutes to shuttle all the bags down to the garage, but we eventually managed to get everything set out on the side walks. Alice had even dutifully organized the luggage into piles containing each person's individual luggage so that it would be easier to load into the cars.

"Go pick out your cars and I will get the keys for them." I instructed everyone as they ran off to pick out the cars that they wanted. Well, everyone except me, Edward and Carlisle. "I assume you will be driving my Carving Concept." I spoke to Carlisle.

"Yes. Esme wanted the Buick Enclave that is sitting back in the corner over there so I decided that since I am perfectly happy with the C-class Mercedes I have back home, I might as well let her have her car." He smiled as his eyes followed Esme's slight form as she ran toward the champagne colored Enclave. The love between them was so obvious and sweet.

"I picked out my car." Jasper said as he strolled over to us.

"Alrighty." I smiled at him as I pulled out my BlackBerry and opened a New Memo Pad document to record all of the car choices that they were making so that I could grab all of the necessary keys. "What is it that you chose?"

"The Rolls Royce Conquistador," Jasper smirked.

"The Mansory Phantom one?" I asked as I typed it in.

"Yes!" He looked over his shoulder, admiring the dangerous looking black car. I had to admit, even though Jasper was a laid back person, he had a kick ass taste in automobiles. The Conquistador would scare those pansy Prius, Accord, and Corolla drivers off of the road easily.

"Great choice." I typed in the Rolls Royce and then my McLaren, Enzo, and Carving Concept.

"Bella I found it!" Alice screamed as she vaulted herself over the orange Pagani Zonda that was sitting in the first parking slot.

"What do you want?" I asked as I took a step away from her, not wanting to be mowed over by an overexcited Alice.

"Well, I wanted the Porsche but Edward already told me he would get it for me for Christmas so I am going to hold him to that. But I was going through the aisles back there and I almost missed it because it was hiding in the corner…" Alice shot out as she danced around.

"Well what is it?" I asked even though I think I knew what she was going to say. It was honestly the perfect car for her.

"That is the thing; I don't know what it is! It is just shiny and blue!" She sighed.

"Point it out to me I will know what it is." I rolled my eyes as Alice led me to a shiny unused tribute to all BMW Alpina cars in the world.

"That one!" She clapped as she went over to stroke the hood lovingly.

"That, my friend, is a BMW V8 Alpina Roadster. Cute, sporty car and it is perfect for you." I typed the name in as I walked back to Edward, Carlisle and Jasper, chuckling as I listened to Alice chant "Alpina" over and over again.

"What did my wife choose?" Jasper asked as I approached.

"An Alpina Roadster. I think it may take your spot as the first love in her life." I laughed a little as Rose came back with a torn expression on her face.

"I can't decide!" She threw her hands up in the air.

"I'm sorry. I thought you wanted the Enzo?" Edward pointed out.

"I do but I also want the Morgan Aeromax!" She whined as she waved her hands toward the two cars. "There were only 100 ever made!"

"Then take them both." Carlisle suggested. "I mean, I wouldn't mind taking that Maybach that is sitting over there. So we could just call in a few favors and have them shipped over to the house."

"That means that we could take more than just these cars." Rose stated dreamily as she started, no doubt, making a tally of all of the other cars she wanted.

"Well, I have the car I want." Esme said as she came over, joining our little group of people. "I want the Enclave in the corner."

"Yes ma'am." I typed the car into my phone and realized that we didn't have Emmett's choice. "Where is Emmett?"

When no one knew where he was—except for maybe Edward who was shaking his head and laughing—I decided to go look for him. I wanted to get these cars and get out of Volterra as soon as possible and Emmett was holding us up.

"You find what you wanted Emmett?" I called out hoping to get a response.

When I didn't get one, I listened carefully until I heard a quiet noise coming from my right. I slowly walked toward the sound, listening to it get louder and louder until I found the source.

Emmett was sitting in an old silver car that was vaguely familiar to me as he made "Vroom Vroom" sounds.

"Bella, it is the De Lorean, the one from Back to the Future!" He exclaimed when he noticed I was there.

"Is that the car you want?" I asked knowing that the old decrepit car probably didn't work but if he wanted it, he was welcome to it.

"Nope I just thought it was cool." He climbed out of the tiny car, his massive body having to squeeze through the small door before he was free. "I want that one." He led me over to a deep red Tesla Roadster.

"Got it," I smiled as I typed in the name of the car and walked off to get the keys.

Two hours, nine cars, one phone call and a crap load of suitcases later, we were all loaded up in each of our cars and Carlisle was talking Edward through what to do if I were to at some point lose control and want to eat someone while we were driving.

"I am going to go find Marcus." I quickly remarked as I turned to go back into the castle.

"In his office," Edward shot over his shoulder before turning back to listen to Carlisle.

I nodded my head in thanks as I pushed through the doors and made my way to the offices. I found the door wide open and a sullen looking Marcus sitting in his big burgundy leather chair.

"Knock, knock." I called softy as I walked in.

"Bella, are you guys leaving?" He asked, looking up at me with his dark eyes.

"Yeah, we are about to go. Carlisle just finished the call to pull everyone out of school and quit his job. Right now we are just waiting for his friends to show up and take the extra cars." I smiled.

"As long as no one took my Spyker," He laughed slightly.

"No one touched it." I promised as I tossed the keys to his beloved car at him.

We sat there in silence for another moment, both of us watching as Marcus spun the keys around his finger.

"So… where are you going to go?" I carefully broached the topic.

"I don't know." He answered. "The Volturi have been all I have known for so long that I don't know what else I could do."

"Come with us to Ireland. You can make a new life with us." I pleaded, not wanting to leave a friend behind.

"I don't want to impose. Plus I would be gone as soon as I figured out where I wanted to go." He sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired face.

"Esme won't mind. I guarantee that she would be ecstatic that you even considered staying for a day. Please, Marcus, come." I reached out and placed a comforting hand on his, trying to sooth him. "I am sure Jasper wants to continue to argue about the Civil War with you." I teased, eliciting a chuckle from him.

"I thought you were dying while we were having that conversation?"

"They filled me in while we were hunting and packing everything up this morning." I told him.

We sat in silence for a few minutes as Marcus thought over the offer to come to Ireland.

"Fine, but only for a short while and only if I can take Aro's car with me." He joked as he pushed himself up out of his chair and grabbed his suitcases off of the floor.

I smiled hugely before pulling him into a huge hug.

"Lead the way," He commanded as he lazily wrapped an arm around my shoulder and followed me back out to the main offices to that we could grab the keys to Aro's pride and joy. "You think we should take a picture of it?" He asked as we walked back to the garage.

"The car?"

"Yeah, I mean he loves that thing. I think we should leave him a little something to remember it by." Marcus said as we walked through the doors of the garage.

"Yes, we should definitely take a picture!" I smiled as everyone turned to us questioningly.

"Marcus is coming with us under the condition that he can have Aro's car." I announced.

"This is great. I have the perfect room for you in the Manor." Esme cheered at the news, overjoyed at the prospect of more decorating.

"Thank you for having me." Marcus bowed courteously before he went to grab the two cars he wanted to claim.

"Does your friend have room for one more car in his load?" I asked Carlisle.

"Of course he does. The more the merrier. What cars is our friend bringing along?" Carlisle cocked an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Well of course his Spyker C12 Zagato." I remarked at the aforementioned car rolled up to the sidewalk, lining up behind the other cars. "And then, Aro's pride and joy." I smirked as I waved a hand towards the other car that didn't look like it was driving but instead slithering towards us. "The Blastolene B-702."

"That is gorgeous!" Rose whistled as Marcus exited it.

"And it is all mine." He let out a deep laugh as he loaded up the trunk of the Blastolene, obviously meaning that the Spyker was going to be the one delivered.

It took about forty-five minutes but eventually Carlisle's contact showed up and hauled the extra cars off, meaning that we were free to leave whenever we wished.

"Has everyone got everything they need? We are not coming back!" Alice called as she took stock of everything.

A chorus of "yeah's", "I'm good's", and "can we just go now's" met her question.

"Alright, alright, jeez, let's just get going. Marcus says that we have ten minutes after we leave until everyone here realizes that we aren't present. I don't see them following us but they will be pretty pissed. You might want to turn off your phone Bella." Alice commanded me.

I decided that I never really wanted to talk to Aro or have any connection with him ever again, so I simply chucked my phone into a wall, watching, satisfied, as the tiny device shattered into a million pieces.

"I will get you a new one when we get to the Manor." Edward whispered, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Fine, but only if it is another BlackBerry." I smiled as Alice spoke from her spot next to her car.

"Let's go! We are ready to depart!" Alice squealed as she jumped into her car and revved the engine impatiently.

"Shall we follow, love?" Edward asked as he placed a hand on my back and led me to my McLaren.

"Yeah, I am ready to get out of here." I smiled up at him.

"Alright, but if you start to feel uncomfortable or feel like you are loosing control, do not hesitate to tell me. I need to know these things so that I can help you." Edward commanded as he opened my door and helped me into the car before sprinting over to the driver's side and sliding in easily.

"I promise." I placed a kiss on his cheek as he peeled out of the garage, following the others.

I was finally free of Volterra.

* * *

A/N: Quote Hunt is from MCS. (Motion City Soundtrack) I live for their music.

Now remember, sweeties, please be nice! My mommy always told me "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." So if you hated this chapter, ZIP IT! Or, you could leave a POLITE review saying "This chapter wasn't everything I wished it was going to be and this is why…" Bashing is prohibited and Bitches will be persecuted.

Leave me a sweet review or something to make me feel better and maybe help me out of this funk. It is keeping me from typing the next chapters!

Much Love!

Oh, BTW, all of the cars kick ass and you should definitely Google them if you don't know what they are.


	31. Breathe, Just Breathe

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Plain and simple.

A/N: You guys! You make me smile! All of your reviews were so sweet and encouraging! I want to give you all hugs and bake you a freaking cake or something along those lines.

So… in thanks for your collective (I can't type that word without thinking about the Borg. Ha.) awesomeness by adding in a little something-something that many of you asked for in this chapter. It was incredibly hard to write this mentality but I just took a deep breath, channeled my inner selfish uber-bitch, and "Voiala!" we have your treat. I hope it is worth it!

One more thing. **Skdfskf** asked where I learned the names to "all these sweet ass cars." Well, I am a HUGE car buff, as I have said before, but as to specific cars? I watch the SPEED channel religiously. That means classic car shows, Barrett Jackson auctions, Pinks, etc… they always have an endless supply of "sweet ass" cars. So, go watch the SPEED channel! Thanks for asking, sweetie!

Without further ado, I give you Aro POV!

Now Indulge your curiosity, loves, with CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT!!

* * *

"Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?"

--"Breathe" by Anna Nalick

Chapter Twenty-Eight

AroPOV

I felt a certain haziness—almost akin to the sleep-like feelings that I had felt and experienced through various people's memories—lift from my body in a lazy fashion. It was almost as though I had actually been asleep, however impossible the feat may be.

I almost believed it for a moment.

That was until the groans and complaints of my subordinates reached my ears. They questioned each other about why they felt tired and what was going on.

I opened my eyes, trying to remember what I had last been doing before I fell into this unfortunate slumber, but all I could remember was the feeling of peacefulness that the "sleep" had wrought on my mind. As a result I couldn't think clearly.

"What is that smell?" I heard Demitri ask from a few feet to my right.

My head instinctually whipped in the direction and I inhaled deeply taking in the obnoxious scent of house hold cleaners.

"When was my floor Cloroxed?" I questioned everyone, annoyed that someone would use the scented lemon Clorox on the floor when the all knew that I detested the horrible scent of it.

When no one answered, I brushed my hand across the skin of the vampire nearest to me.

Nothing.

I repeated this again with three more vampires, getting more and more agitated with everyone I came in contact with.

No one knew anything.

"Damn it! Who did this?!" I roared. "I demand to know!"

"Wait, Master. Come here." Demitri called again, and waved me back over to where he was still standing.

"Do you know who used the lemon scented Clorox?" I asked, hoping that someone would tell me so that I could dish out the proper punishment and the move on so that we could put this atrocity behind us.

"No, but I want you to take another deep breath. Try to focus on the other scents that are masked by the Clorox."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and I focused only on my sense of smell, inhaling the offending lemony scent, trying my best to decipher what in the hell Demitri would want me to sniff around for.

I was about ready to give up and just read the poor bastard's mind when I caught a whiff of something vaguely familiar mingled in with the over-powering lemon scent.

Bella.

In that one trace of Bella's blood, everything came rushing back to me. The Cullens, Bella being thrown across the room by me, Bella collapsing, the Cullens protecting her, and finally one familiar voice yelling "Stop!" as everything faded into black.

Marcus had helped them get away. I had no doubt in my mind that he had purposely used the lemon scented Clorox just to piss me off.

Where was that bastard at? I was going to rip his rarely used genitals off.

I stormed out of the execution room, leaving my subjects to mull over what had occurred in the last who-knows-how-long, and raced towards Marcus' office.

Nothing was there.

Every bit of Marcus' personal effects had been removed leaving only the bare essentials of office furniture. Where the fuck was he?

I picked up the old and decrepit vampire's scent, following it as it led me to Marcus' room. When I opened his door and found all of his personal belongings gone from his room, too, I was not surprised. I figured that he had left, probably taking those despicable Cullens and my precious Bella with them.

A brief thought of wonder about how Bella had faired after her collapse, but the thought quickly fled my mind when I picked up another trail leading out of the room and going in the opposite directions of the office.

It led to the garage.

I think I ran the fastest I ever had in order to get down to the garage. I had a sinking feeling that I wasn't going to like what I found.

When I broke through the doors to the garage—screw doors and handles—only to be overwhelmed by the fresh scent of engine exhaust and nine vampires.

Wait.

Nine vampires? Not possible…

…unless… they changed Bella! How marvelous! I needed to go see this for myself! Their scent was still relatively fresh so they obviously hadn't been gone long. If I took my Blastolene it would be a piece of cake to catch up to them, to matter what cars they are driving, and overtake them.

With this newfound excitement bubbling in me I walked over to where my precious car sat, feeling on top of the world. But as I came in sight of my normal parking place, I panicked, realizing that the spot was empty.

"No!" I yelled rushing forward the last few feet, only to find that my parking place was, indeed, empty. "No, no, no!"

They did not take my car.

The only thing in my spot was Bella's laptop with a sticky note in the shape of a bat stuck to the top of it. The note was written in Marcus' handwriting. I plucked it off of the laptop and held it closer so that I could read it.

_Aro, old friend,_

_I was tiring of having to be your 3__rd__ in command for so long. I have decided that I need a vacation of sorts. Do not come looking for me or Bella because, mark my words, I will kill you if you harm her or her new family in any way. _

_Anyways, Bella and I urge you to check out the message we left for you on her computer while we were waiting for your car—and various other cars we are taking with us—to be loaded up and taken away. _

_I hope I never see you again!_

_Marcus_

I was so pissed off by the time I reached the end of the note that swiftly turned and punched a hole through the body of the red Alfa Romero 8C that was sitting in the spot next to where my car used to be at.

I almost threw away the laptop and just not look at the message that they had left but my curiosity got the best of me. Bella and Marcus must have just made this video so that meant that I would get to see what Bella looked like as a vampire… that was… if they left a video message.

I flipped open the laptop and hit the space bar, pulling the fragile computer out of its stand-by mode. Windows Media Player instantly popped up and started buffering a video titled "Surprise, ye old bastard!"

_Surprise was right._ I thought as I waited for the video to finish loading before hitting play.

Marcus' disgustingly repulsive face was the first thing to come into the direct view of the camera. With a big shit-eating grin plastered across his usually demure face. It was a pleasant—even if unwelcome—change in scenery. Nine hundred years of droll, expressionless nothingness would eventually wear away at a chipper fellow.

Maybe I should be glad he is gone.

I quickly dismissed that thought after remembering that he took my car. That alone automatically negated and positive feelings that I had previously felt.

I focused back on the video watching as Marcus' face got right up in the cameras' lenses adjusting it a few times before he moved away, sitting so the you could see his entire body plus the cars behind him, giving me a perfect view of one of the Porches zipping around the garage in circles, passing by every fifteen seconds or so.

"Hello Aro." Marcus' voice rang out from the tiny laptop, dragging my attention back to his still grinning face. "As you know by now, we have taken your car, a lot more cars, oh, and a few more cars on top of that."

More cars?

I was reeling in anger as I shot up, scanning the garage quickly, picking out at least eight or nine empty parking spots where cars should have been sitting at, but weren't.

I was sorely tempted to hop into the closest car to me and jet out of here, but I couldn't do that. I was way too curious to leave now.

"I bet that you are just realizing about the other cars, aren't you?" Marcus laughed, shaking his head at me. "Well, we couldn't just take one, now could we? Not when there were hundreds of other uniquely fascinating cars at our disposal."

"You know he is right, you would have done the same thing." Bella said as she gracefully plopped down next to Marcus. The sight of her took my breath away.

She had definitely become even more beautiful with her change—but then again, what vampire's looks doesn't improve upon changing? Her brilliant ruby eyes sparked with child-like excitement and her skin glowed with a brilliance that no other could match.

She was perfect.

And she wasn't mine for the taking.

"Like the new me?" Bella asked, giggling a bell like laugh, voicing my exact thoughts. How did they keep doing that?

"That's okay. I know you can't answer a video so I will just continue talking." Bella smiled at the camera again before she took a deep breath and continued with what she was saying.

"So, if you have failed to notice, we have left. And by "left" I mean the Cullens, me, Marcus and a lot of your cars. We have no plans of returning or seeing you again… ever." She shot me a stern look and I felt as though her ruby eyes were coming straight through the screen and piercing me. It was incredibly unnerving.

"We are all traveling far away from you and Volterra. And don't even think about coming to look for us because I will kill you. The powers I had as a human? They have been magnified into one super kick-ass power that nothing else you have ever experienced can rival. Don't test me because I will eliminate you." Bella ended her little warning with a menacing growl that, to be honest, scared me a bit and I am not easily scared.

As much as I wanted to go after Bella and Marcus, I didn't want to be "eliminated" as she had so eloquently worded it.

No, the only way I had survived the past thousand years was being a coward and shying away from any potential threats.

I didn't think that now was the time to start "grabbing the bull by the horns" or whatever it was that they always said about facing battles head on.

I didn't even bother watching the rest of the ridiculous video, instead opting to slam the lid shut, chipping of some of the plastic with my force. I stomped one Prada clad foot through the laptop, crushing all of the evidence of this atrocity.

Now we could put this behind us and move on.

I found myself, an hour later, sitting at my desk trying to get some paperwork drawn up in regards to the search for new guard members to replace the ones we lost. I had a specific list of requirements that I needed to replace in my line up, but every time I tried to think of unique talents that we could use, my mind always wondered back to Bella and Marcus.

I didn't have this much trouble when I needed to search for new guards the last time I kicked someone out of the guard…

"Do you need anything?" Demitri asked as he stuck his head into my office.

"No." I replied glumly as I twirled a pen between my fingers.

"Are you sure, because you have been staring at that list for a lot longer than usual?"

Stupid bastard who pays too much attention.

"Let it out." He said as he walked in, sitting in the chair across from me.

"Till now I always got by on my own." I whined. "What am I supposed to do now that I cannot function without tying everything back to two of the most important people that I have ever known?"

"Well… we all go through this type of stuff you just have to stick it out and continue on as though it didn't matter." Demitri told me, nodding his head once before getting up and leaving the office as quick as he had come in.

Suck it up, stick it out and put it behind me.

Suck it up, stick it out and put it behind me.

Suck it up, stick it out and put it behind me.

I repeated this new mantra in my head—occasionally saying it out loud if needed—as I tried to finish my routines.

Suck it up, stick it out and put it behind me.

Yeah… just like that.

BPOV

"He is psyching himself out. It is so funny! He keeps chanting "Suck it up, stick it out and put it behind me."" Alice laughed through the phone as she updated me on what was going on back in Castle Volterra.

I guess it was her way of distracting me from what was soon coming.

We were only a few miles outside of a big city and both Edward and I were worried about how I was going to react to being this close to people this soon after my change.

Quite frankly, I was piss scared.

"That is classic Aro. I bet he worries about it for a long time until something worse happens, then he will forget I ever existed." I laughed into Edward's phone, as Edward's grip tightened on my hand, signaling that we were entering the city.

"Bella, I want you to hold your breath. Edward will stop you if you get out of control, but I still think it is safer if you didn't breathe for a while. Okay?" Alice talked me through this, but it wasn't helping. I wanted to talk to try to distract myself, but that meant breathing and I couldn't do that.

"Hang in there love, the city isn't a big one." Edward assured me. I could only nod in response.

"You are doing great, Bella. Just a few more miles." Edward continued talking to me as he stepped on the gas, speeding up faster in an attempt to get us out of the city faster.

A small dog darted out into the road in front of us, causing me to open my mouth and scream "Watch out!" as I pointed at the dog so that Edward could avoid it.

Even though we managed to miss the dog, I momentarily forgot about the whole holding my breath thing and I breathed in.

My senses were immediately assaulted with the thick, sweet smell of blood. And it was everywhere. Once I had taken my first breath, I couldn't stop. My mind went into a hazy blur, focused only on the scent and what my instincts were telling me to do as I started hyperventilating, thrashing against the seat of my car.

Before Edward could react, I had torn through the restraints of the pathetic seat belt and started to frantically claw at the door handle, unaware to what was going on around me.

I only had one focus: the blood.

"Bella, Bella, listen to me. Focus on my voice. You can get through this, you just have to try. I know you can do it, love." A vaguely familiar voice chanted to me, but I ignored it. Listening was not my priority. I needed to sate my thirst.

A pair of strong arms looped around my torso, pinning my struggling limbs to my sides.

"Let me go!" I hissed, a severely primal sound slipping through my lips.

"Bella, I am Edward. Do you remember that? You are in your car and you don't want to kill the humans. They are people. They have lives." Edward chanted in my ear.

"Thirsty," I choked out.

"I know, love, I know. But you have to fight it." Edward pulled one arm from my waist and put it on the steering wheel so that he could continue driving.

"Hold your breath, we are almost there."

I did as he said, but holding my breath only made me dwell on the heady memory of the blood I had just smelled.

Delicious.

The window rolled down in front of me, and a cool gust of air hit my face.

"Breathe the cool air, it will clear your head." Edward instructed.

Once again, I complied.

He was right, it did clear my head, allowing me to gradually get my wits back about me.

"Thank you." I whispered as we cleared the last signs of civilization.

"Anytime." He smiled at me as he released his hold on my body. "Now, would you like to hunt real quick before we get going again?"

"Yes, please." I answered, placing a small kiss on Edward's cheek as he pulled over and lead me into the woods.

Hopefully all will be well.

* * *

A/N: The Quote Hunt is from Heart!

GO, SEARCH, DISCOVER! You will be rewarded. ;o)

BEFORE YOU PANIC!! READ THIS: Bella's threat about having a kick ass power was just a bluff, Aro just didn't call it. So don't freak out and go "what is her power, you didn't tell us?!" You will find out in due time. Promise!

Also, please don't crucify me if I don't manage to update next week or the week after that. I am sure that you all understand the concept of Real Life, because you have a RL too (I hope). So, the good news is that if you can hold on to you panties (and/or boxers/boxer briefs) for about 15 more days I will be out of school for the summer and free to write a lot more! That means more chapters, faster! So can you guys do that for me? Just be patient for a short while (3 weeks tops) and not kill me?

Also, this isn't Betaed. I wanted to get it out anyways, though! So don't be pissed about grammar and spelling errors. Just keep in mind that you got the chapter. Screw the grammar!

Thank you!

Much love.


	32. Sight Seeing

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I think that would be obvious by now, but I will still put this here. Legal reasons, you know?

A/N: AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! I am squealing right now. Pathetic? Yes! But oh, so worth it! You will read why at the bottom!

Oh, and this is just filler/fluff. Nothing important. EXCEPT the A/N at the bottom!!!

(This isn't Betaed.)

Indulge your curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE!!

* * *

"Where you lead, I will follow.  
Anywhere that you tell me to  
If you need, you need me to be with you  
I will follow where you lead."

--"Where You Lead, I Will Follow" by Carole King

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Nine

BPOV

It had taken a few hours, but the weight of what I had almost done was starting to set in, looming over my head like an unwelcome umbrella at the beach, blotting out the soothing heat of the sun.

But, unfortunately, there was no metaphorical sun hanging around here. It was just me, my thoughts, and the steel roof of my McLaren.

Sensing my distress, Edward reached over and squeezed my thigh reassuringly, shooting me a small grin when I looked over.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked.

"Nothing, really. Just thinking things over." I placed my hand on top of his, playing with his fingers absentmindedly.

"What type of things? You know that I hate my inability to read your mind, love. Please indulge me." Edward shot me his best pouty look.

"Just that we are going to be living together in Ireland with your family and…" I was in the middle of my sentence when Edward interrupted.

"They are your family, too. You might as well get use to referring to them as your family or else I have a feeling that Esme will be offended. She thought of you as her daughter even before she met you." Edward told me as he flicked the turn signal on and exited the highway.

"I know. I guess it will take a little getting use to. I have always thought of them as my family but I have never actually thought about them being my family in the literal sense. Sorry if that makes zero sense." I glanced out of the window, taking in the lush green country side as it whizzed by.

"I understand." Edward reassured me. "I was the same way when I first joined Carlisle. It took me a while to think of him as a father figure."

I simply nodded and smiled. We didn't need a constant flow of words to fill our time together. We were fine just sitting here, enjoying the comfort and calm that came with being with each other.

Another hour or so may have passed, but the time didn't matter to me anymore.

Edward and I sat there, sneaking glances at each other from the corner of our eyes, smiling like ridiculous teenagers every time we caught the other in the act.

"Are you excited for Ireland?" Edward asked, disrupting the silence with his sweet voice.

"Actually, I am." I responded. "I haven't been to many places in the world, despite being with the Volturi. I am excited to see somewhere new."

"I am sure that you will love the Manor we have there. There is so much room in it that we could have an entire wing to ourselves and have no idea that anyone else is there."

"Don't you think that a house of that size is slightly ridiculous?" I asked, as my mind conjured up images of huge Manors in my head. About all I could think of was the Biltmore.

"Yeah, maybe. But when you have as good of hearing as we do, the bigger the house, the less you hear. And trust me, less _is _more in this case." Edward scrunched up his nose in what was supposed to be an "I'm disgusted" look but really was more adorable than anything else.

"My apologies. You poor, poor thing. Having to suffer through that torture." I teased, bending my wrist to my forehead in mock concern.

"Hey, just wait a few years and then you will know what I am talking about." Edward pointed out, sobering my laughing fit up immediately.

"That's what I thought." He smiled at my realization.

"Thanks, bud. Now I definitely have something to look forward to." I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

"You are very welcome love."

We sat in silence for another moment, listening to the sounds of Rammstien belting out the lyrics to "Du Hast."

"I wonder who they hated so much that they had to sing a song that declares their hatred over and over again." Edward mused as he pulled into a small gas station, following Alice.

I shrugged in response as he climbed out of the car and quickly began pumping gas.

A knock on my window startled me, causing me to let out a small yelp.

A deep rumbling laugh came from outside of my window.

"Emmett, you scared me." I hissed at him as I quickly scanned the gas station, checking to make sure no one was around before I stepped out of the car, carefully avoiding spots where the sun leaked through holes in the thin tin roof of the station.

"Did you kill anyone?" Emmett asked.

"I am about to." I answered.

"Whoa there, kitty-cat. Put your claws back in." He laughed, rubbing my head in a brotherly fashion.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't do it again." I warned him, curling my fingers like a cat's paw and swiped at him playfully.

"Bella," Carlisle came up to us after having hooked his car up to the pump. "How have you handled things so far? Any problems?"

"Erm…" I wrung my hands together and adverted my gaze to the ground, ashamed of my lack of control.

"Don't be ashamed by anything that happened. It is only natural that you should feel any bloodlust. We all go through it at some point or another, and, as much as I wish that it was different, you are no exception to the rule." Carlisle laid a hand on my shoulder, reassuring me.

"I know, but it doesn't make me any less ashamed. I wanted to rip off of the door and pillage the city like some depraved Neanderthal! I completely lost my head and any and all common sense that I usually have. All of my senses shut down, except for my sense on smell and sight, and both of those were locked onto the humans as though they were an enemy locked in the cross hairs of my gun." I shook my head and closed my eyes, trying to keep the memory of the scent of the blood from surfacing. I didn't want to lose control now.

"It is instinctive." Jasper said as he exited his car, a bluesy-country ballad drifted out from the open door.

"I saw that you wouldn't hurt anyone. If you were going to kill someone, I would have stopped you." Alice commented, and she hung out of the sun roof on her car.

"Thanks Alice." I whispered, slightly reassured that if I messed up, the Cullens wouldn't judge me or shun me if I… uhh… slipped up. I would still feel guilty but they would be there for me and that was enough for me.

"Bella, love." Edward called, as he swiped his credit card through the slot, paying for the gas.

"Yes?"

"I think you might want to get in the car and get ready to go. I hear some people approaching and one of them is injured." He said quickly, as he hurriedly finished up his business at the pump.

"Alright, thanks." I mumbled my gratitude as I quickly said bye to everyone and slipped back into the car.

I even buckled my seatbelt and locked the door in preparation. It was pointless since they wouldn't restrain if I did lose control, but it gave me peace of mind while I waited for Edward to get into the car.

"You ready?" Edward asked as he slid into the car, placing the key into the ignition.

"Yeah, just drive before I do anything stupid." I smiled at him to show that I was kidding when he glanced over at me with a worried expression, looking like he was about to jump into action at the first sign of danger.

_My sweet, sweet protector._

oOoOoOoOoOo

The ride was taking a lot longer than I had first expected. We had been driving for a good few hours when I finally decided to ask where we were.

"We are in the south western side of Germany." Edward explained as he bent forwards over the steering, looking up into the mountains and hills that were whizzing past our windows.

"What are you looking for?" I asked as I laid a hand on Edward's shoulder, debating whether or not to pull him back into his seat and tell him to focus on the road.

"If you look closely at hills and in between the mountains, you can sometimes catch a glimpse of a castle." Edward told me as he kept searching, the car never one wavering from its spot in the very middle of the road.

I studied Edward's face rather than the hills. I watched as his golden eyes as they shifted back and forth as he stared intently at the hills. His nose gently sloped down, bumping up slightly at the end, giving it an adorable—yet admittedly sexy—look that made me want to pepper it with a dozen kisses. His full lips stretched out suddenly over his perfect pearly white teeth.

I glanced up to see Edward's eye light up with the happiness of a small child when they spot something that interested them.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"Look up there." Edward said as he let his foot off of the gas, the car slowing down to somewhere around the actual speed limit.

I looked towards the hills, following the direction of his eyes, but I didn't see anything.

"What are you talking about? I don't see anything of interest." I said as Edward directed the car to the side of the road.

"Bella, you have the sight of a vampire. I want you to look up into the hills and tell me what you see." He instructed as he grabbed my chin, gently, and directed my attention to the hills again.

"Alright, alright." I agreed, not wanting to be the one responsible for taking the spark out of his eye. I looked up into the green wilderness that surrounded us, still not seeing anything of extreme importance.

"Tell me what you see." He commanded, letting go of my chin so that his arm could wrap around my waist.

"I see… a bush, a tree, a cottage and, oh, look, cows! Are we going tipping?" I smiled, secretly wondering what vampires did for fun besides baseball.

"No, unless you really want to." Edward let out a slight chuckle as he latched back onto my chin, directing my attention to a hill that was about a mile or two out. "I want you to focus on the hill and tell me what you see."

I squinted my eyes, focusing on the hill. I let out a little squeal when I realized that I could actually see that far out.

"Did you see it?" Edward asked.

"Oh, sorry, no. I was too excited by the fact that I could see that far when I tried." I knew that if I was still human that I would be blushing every shade of red imaginable.

I looked back at the hill and I could just barely make out the outline of the ruins of some large stone structure. Only a few walls were left standing.

"Is that a castle?" I started bouncing a little, excitement bubbling up inside me.

"I don't know why you sound so surprised seeing as you lived in on for the past however long you were with the Volturi." Edward smiled. "But, yes, it is the ruins of a castle."

"Castle Volturi never seemed like much of a castle to me. It was more of a prison. Other than that, I have never seen a real castle." I admitted.

"That is a shame." Edward sighed.

"Can we see it? Please!" I turned towards Edward, trying my best to imitate Alice's award winning pout. I must have done something right because Edward smiled and nodded his head.

We were about to climb out of the car when Edward's cell rang.

"What is it Alice?" He answered in an annoyed tone. He listened for a minute, nodding his head to something she was saying before he muttered a small "thank you" and hung up.

I tilted my head to the side and cocked an eyebrow up in question, silently asking him what Alice had called about.

"Alice said that we were fine on time if we wanted to go check it out. But we can't spend more than forty-five minutes there or else the sun is going to come out and then we will pretty much be screwed if anyone happens to pass by." Edward explained with a small smile.

I nodded my understanding and waited patiently as Edward retrieved the keys from the ignition and locked up the car before he sauntered over to me and extended one pale hand towards me.

"Shall we, my lady?" Edward joked as he spoke with a slight British lit to his voice. It was charming and sexy. I felt my eyes glaze over as I replayed the sound of his voice in my head.

"Can you do any other accents?" I asked, running my hand up and down Edward's arm.

"I-erm-I guess…?" Edward mumbled, stuttering over his words.

"I wish I could do some type of accent. But, no, I just sound American. Woo-hoo." I said sarcastically, twirling my finger.

"Come on, silly. Let's go check out the castle before we waste our forty-five minutes talking about accents." Edward tugged on the hand that he was holding and broke out into a run, dragging me behind him.

I laughed, easily keeping pace with him as we made our way to the ruins of castle we had spotted from the road.

"Here, I think there is a path that leads up to it." Edward told me as he pulled us to the side and started leading me up the slightly overgrown path that stretched out in front of us.

It didn't take long for us to reach the top and finally be able to see the castle.

Even thought it was falling apart and reduced to nothing but a pile of rubble, you could still imagine what it must have looked like when it was in its prime. Standing majestically on the hillside for all to see as it towered over the small village the presided below it, the ruins had a calming, yet empowering effect.

"Wow." I breathed, my voice coming out in a whisper as though if I spoke any louder I would somehow ruin the effect.

"Do you feel it?" Edward whispered back, leaning close as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"Yeah. It feels… magical." I whispered, laying my head on his shoulder as we stood there looking out over the ruins.

I slipped out from under Edward's arm and slowly made my way towards the ruins. There was an old corroded stone arch that stretched along what must have once been the entrance of the castle.

I let my fingers brush over the cool stone, reveling in the feeling of it. I could see and feel every pour and every dip in the stone with my new heightened senses. It was… enthralling.

Edward and I spend the next half an hour walking peacefully through the ruins, hand in hand.

It was perfect.

oOoOoOoOoOo

"That was a beautiful castle." I commented as we sped back down the road, going faster than we had been going before in an effort to catch up with the family.

"Yes, but if you think that was beautiful, wait until you see the Manor. It is actually one of the world's most beautiful Manors… or so various magazines claim." Edward shrugged it off as though it was nothing.

"What happened to trying to remain inconspicuous and fly below the radar? I would think that this would draw attention to you and your family." I remarked curiously.

"It does, but we don't allow any tours or photography really." Edward reassured me.

We sat in silence for a minute while I thought about what this highly acclaimed Manor could possibly look like.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked after a few minutes.

"That still bothers you, huh?" I asked with a sly grin creeping on my face. "The fact that you can't read my mind?"

"Yes, but I suppose that it is one of the things that draws me to you. The mystery…" Edward shrugged again as he flicked on the turn signal, and exited the highway.

"Well, if you really want to know, I was thinking about how strange it feels. I feel as though I should be eating or in need or a rest stop. But I don't. I'm not hungry and I don't have to go to the restroom! It is slightly discontenting!" A brief thought floated through my mind making me wonder what a bag of candy would taste like.

"You will get used to it. Trust me, we all have those urges at first." Edward reached over from the console to grab my hand. "Just please don't ask me to buy you some food."

"What? No! Please, Edward, I want to try it!" I begged, pissed off that he had figured out what I had been about to ask next.

"Trust me, Bella. You will regret it. I am just saving you from future discomfort." He said with a look of disgust on his face, no doubt recalling when I had made him eat pizza.

Before I could respond, Edward spoke again with a hit of worry laced in his words. "We are coming up on another city, love. I want you to start holding your breath and please, don't yell if a dog jumps out in front of me again. I have eyes, too."

I nodded my head and sucked in a breath, sinking down in my seat to endure another few minutes in Hell.

* * *

A/N: Oh, no Quote Hunt. Sorry. I couldn't think of a song that fit here.

EEK!

Did you see the trailer for NEW MOON on the MTV Movie Awards tonight?!?!?!?! Fucking…. Ahh. Dude! I am incoherent! Anyways, in celebration of my excitement (and since New Moon is my favorite of the four books) I will give a sneak peak of the next chapter to anyone who reviews! Oh, and tell me what you think of the trailer, too!

;o) Much Love!


	33. What We All Do

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Comprede?

A/N: I like this chapter… a lot. I don't know why, but I do. ;o)

Oh, and don't bitch at me for the whole ferry thing. I wanted them to take a ferry from a port in France to one in Ireland. However, from what I have found, I think it takes 3 days and that doesn't go along with the story outline. So, just imagine that it is a boat traveling… at vampire speed? Yeah. And it only takes 3 hours.

Indulge your curiosity, Loves with CHAPTER THIRTY!!! (Yes!)

* * *

"I love you, please say.  
You love me too, these three words.  
They could change our lives forever.  
And I promise you that we will always be together.  
Till the end of time."

--"I Love You" by Celine Dion

* * *

Chapter Thirty

BPOV

We pulled up to the harbor a few hours later, having successfully made it through three major cities without much of an incident. However, in result, I had had to hunt quite a few times and I felt as though I was going to pop from the amount of blood that was swimming in me.

The only thing I could compare this feeling to was after a workout when I would feel extremely thirsty and down bottle after bottle of water, only to regret it a few moments later when the uncomfortable feeling of sloshing that was akin to a tugboat tossing on the waves of the sea makes itself apparent.

We had arrived about half an hour ago and we were now waiting for the rest of the Cullens and Marcus to arrive. Apparently we had beaten them to the wharf, despite our little side trip. We now sat in the car, avoiding the sun that had come out and reared its golden-rayed head above the horizon of the glimmering sea.

"Everyone slips up." Edward commented in a seemingly offhand tone as he studiously stared out across the sparkling waters, seeing things that I could never dream of seeing, much less comprehending, too. I stared intently at his face, watching as guilt and fear glanced over his strong, angular features.

"Carlisle and Rosalie didn't." I countered with a shake of my head wondering why Edward was bringing this up. I hadn't slipped up, I had just lost control a little but there were no fatal consequences from my actions. No one died. But from what I understood, this was characteristically common for all newborns and I certainly wasn't an exception.

"We can't all be Carlisle and Rose now can we?" Edward took a deep breath, his shoulders hunched over a bit.

"I thought all newborns lost control around humans until they were more… experienced." I tipped my head to the side as my eyes swept over Edward's tense, taut features and posture, the soft glow of the morning sun illuminated every angle and plain of his features. The haziness of the pre-dawn fog from the water blocking out enough of the rays that he didn't noticeably glitter as he did that day in the meadow. Instead there was just a subtle glimmer, a hint of a sparkle that highlighted the stress he was feeling.

"We do. So don't get down on yourself if it happens that you do lose your control. It is something that every newborn struggles with; _even_ Carlisle and Rose." He tried to comfort me, but his voice was distant.

"Thanks for… that… erm… reassuring little spiel, Edward." I shot a little half smile towards Edward but he wasn't looking. His eyes were still locked out on the water, tracing the arches of the waves as they swelled, crashed, then ebbed and receded, repeating the process continuously. His features were still as tense as before, his brow puckered out in a serious of ripples, bunching up his forehead in an adorable way. But now wasn't the time for me to focus on whether or not he looked cute or not. Something was bothering him.

"Edward?" I questioned, hesitantly reaching out to place a hand on the muscles of his lanky arm. I could feel them jump with surprise under my touch but neither of us pulled back.

"Don't worry about it." Edward dismissed it, turning slightly towards me, but before he could turn back away, I caught a glimpse of his eyes. He had just hunted earlier today when we had stopped for me, but his eyes were dark amber now, not the honey golden that they should be this soon after a hunt.

Edward shifted his gaze back out to the front of him, staring out across the glistening waters with a foreboding look of guilt and nostalgia glancing across his strong, angular features.

In that moment I felt that I could relate with what Edward, himself, had once experienced. The uncontrollable lust for blood and the need to be sated was indeed overpowering.

With Edward's ability to read minds it must have been even more upsetting—unsettling. Through the blood he could look, see the life that he took and everything about them as their thoughts invaded his mind.

"Why did you do it?" I asked quietly, almost scarred that I was going to shatter some thin barrier that would cause him to revert to his prior ways.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, an air of caution laced through his velvet words.

"You could hear the people's thoughts; you knew what they were thinking of you and how afraid they probably were. Why did you continue to take humans, then? Animals, I assume, don't think—do they? I wouldn't know.—so wouldn't it be easier to feed from them?" I shrugged as I thought over this in my head.

When he didn't answer me for a few moments—instead he sat, opening and closing his mouth as though he wanted to say something but catching himself at the last second—I looked closely at his expression. The guilt, sorrow and repentance were painted there clear a day for any fool to see.

I panicked, quickly pulling my legs up in my chair and twisting so that I was facing him, my legs bent under my body allowing me to lean across the center console and grab onto his cheeks with both of my hands, tugging gently on his jaw until he turned towards me, meeting my concerned gaze. The minute his eyes met mine, I regretted ever asking.

"Hey, hey, listen. Don't feel obligated to answer that. I was just blurting out random thoughts. Just forget I asked." I put aside my burning curiosity—my desire to have my question answered—so that he would be put out of his misery. Edward didn't deserve to feel this; to have old wounds reopened.

"No, you deserve an answer. I just don't exactly know how to word it so that it will make sense to you, because it doesn't completely make sense to me." Edward looked up at me through his lashes.

I nodded, signaling my understanding before I drug my hands down the length of his jaw until the met at the tip of his chin then drug them back up the length of his face, repeating the motion. I leaned in and placed one little kiss on the tip of his straight nose and gave him a small smile.

"Well, how about you think about it and when you feel confident that you know the answer you let me know, okay?" I ran my thumbs over the apples of Edward's cheeks.

Edward was shaking his head before I finished the sentence.

"I want to give you an answer now, love." Edward said as he drew my hands away from his face and clasped them in his. I sat patiently waiting for him to sort his thoughts.

""I think… I think the best way to describe it was to say that I had a God complex. I thought of myself as a deity of sorts, a council of one who will decide when he's done with the innocent." Edward shook his head in shame, sighing deeply before glancing down at our intertwined hands. "I was rebellious like a teenager. Well, I was truly in my thirties when that happened so maybe saying I had a mid life crisis is more apt of a description."

We bother let out dry, strained chuckles at his attempt at humor.

"Well, old man, I appreciate you sharing that with me. Do I understand? Not exactly, but, hey, that is okay." I smiled up at Edward, hoping to ease us into a lighter topic. "We have forever to figure it out."

"That we do, Miss Swan, that we do." He confirmed, his shoulders relaxing inestimably. "Anyways, who are you calling old man? If I remember correctly, you are six years older than me, love."

"That is physically. It doesn't count! You were born in 1901. My measly six years cannot compete with that. You are certainly elderly, gramps." I retorted, amazed by how easily we had shifted from the intense sorrowful mood to joking and teasing in just a few words.

Edward groaned, his head falling back against the headrest. "Please don't call me gramps again. I don't want you thinking of a wrinkly old man every time you kiss me." Edward scrunched up his nose in mock disgust.

I was just leaning in to prove to him how unlike a grandpa I thought he was when a tap on my window scared me, causing me to jerk away. Edward smoothly hit the button for the automatic window, rolling it down so that Esme could pop her head in the car. I glanced outside, noting that the sun was securely hidden by a thick cloud that I didn't see an end to.

"The ferry is ready to leave you two." Esme informed us before grinning at the two of us and walking away.

Edward grinned after his mom as he rolled the window back up and turned the ignition on, driving forward onto the pier and then the ferry.

oOoOoOoOoOo

It took about three hours to cross from the port of Roscoff in France to Rosslare in Ireland. From there it wouldn't take us too long to make it to this highly acclaimed Manor that I had heard so much about. Esme couldn't stop talking about it as we crossed the ocean, spilling all of her plans for the renovations to me, Alice and Rosalie.

"Mom?" Emmett called when we were discussing the remodeling of the bedrooms.

"Yes, darling?" Esme answered patiently, one perfect eyebrow arching slightly over a glowing gold eye.

"Do you remember how I asked you a few years ago if I could have a room for all of my video games?" Emmett asked looking hopefully down at Esme.

"Yes, I do. What about it?" I would tell that Esme already knew what he was going to ask, but she was obviously humoring him. You have got to love Esme for that. Her patience and love for her "children" shone through all of the time. I admired her.

"Well… since we are going to the Manor and it has a lot of rooms… could you help me design a game room? Of course I would help and everything—I have a lot of ideas about what I want in it—I just need your infamous designer knowledge to guide me." Emmett shot her a sly smile, obviously trying to stroke her ego to convince her to help him out.

I had a feeling that no matter if Emmett demanded it of her or kindly asked, Esme would do it anyways simply because she loves her family.

"Why do you even bother asking, Emmett? You know I would help you anyways, sweetie." Esme patted his arm before she turned back to us.

"Bella, is there any particular them you want for your room?" And with that question from Alice, we were off again, our conversation a whirl of colors, patterns, and types of furniture. It was overwhelming.

"So," I began after we had finished discussing the styles of the rooms and changes that Esme wanted to make. "I have heard a lot about how extraordinary this place is and how much you miss it, but no one has told me much about it!"

"Oh, dear. Surely Edward has told you all about it, hasn't he?" When I shook my head at Esme's question, she immediately stood up and walked over to where the guys were gathered at. With one quick motion she slapped Edward on the back of the head, causing him to jerk forwards before she turned on her heel and came back over to us, continuing on as if she had never left the table to begin with.

"It is a beautiful Manor house in Limerick, Ireland. I believe that the land was given to Carlisle as a thank you gift for something-or-another in the early 1800's." Esme smiled slightly, her eyes glancing over to Carlisle, his eyes darting up to meet hers as though they knew that the other was looking. It was adorable.

"Sweetie, can you come tell Bella the history of the Manor for me? You know it much better than I do." She gave him a wide smile as he nodded, pushing away from the wall he was leaning up against to come join us at the ladies' table.

"Where did you leave off?" He asked, grinning at all of our eager expressions. Apparently I wasn't the only one who hadn't heard this before.

"I told them the land was a gift, but that was about it, love." Esme placed a hand on Carlisle's muscular arm, sitting up straight so that she could place a sweet little kiss on his cheek.

"Yes, the land was a gift to me back in the early 19th century from the Quin family. Though who decided that 840 acres of land is a gift, I don't know." He laughed, rolling his eyes, his humor evident in the sparkle in his eyes.

"I wish I knew someone who would give me that much land as a gift…" Rosalie mused, a small grim gracing her full lips.

"Christmas, Rosie! I will buy you and island!" Emmett yelled from the other side of the deck as he blew her a kiss.

We all let out little laughs as Rose ducked her head in embarrassment. She couldn't deny that she loved him, though.

"That gives about… a week and a half to find me an island." Rose said after she had regained her composure.

"What were you saying, Carlisle?" Alice prodded, ignoring Emmett.

"Well, when I was exploring the land I came across a brash female vampire named Maggie. She was hunting in the middle of the property and had caught my scent. She followed me until I came across a red deer and took it down, draining it." Carlisle had a far off look in his eyes as he recounted the story. "Well, Maggie proceeded to come up to me and ask 'Why the hell did you just drink from a deer you pretentious Englishman?'" Carlisle mimicked an Irish accent perfectly making us all laugh.

"When I explained my diet and way of life she laughed in my face and accused me of being too much of a pussy to eat a proper meal the way I was made to eat it. We talked for a while and I ended up finding out that she lived in a little house on the outskirts of the property with a few other vampires. And by the end of our little conversation I was agreeing to let her built me a nice house next to the lake that was on the property." Carlisle shrugged but he had a smile on his face. I could tell that this was one of his favorite memories.

"I didn't give her a budget because I didn't expect her to build me some grand house or anything, but she went crazy! I came back from America to find that a lot of the land had been cleared and Maggie had built herself another house closer to the one she built for me, and a monster of a house with around sixty three guest rooms! I honestly thought she was joking when she showed me the house but, she wasn't." Carlisle shook his head as I gaped at him.

"Sixty-three rooms?" I breathed unbelievingly. "The biggest place that I have ever called home was Charlie's house! And we shared a bathroom!"

They laughed at me, Alice shaking her head in mock horror.

"Well, at least it sounds like there is plenty of room for hunting." I rubbed a hand across the back of my neck, my eyes were probably as wide as saucers as I tried to imagine a 63 room house. I couldn't even fathom a place that big to look at, let alone live in.

"Prepare to be pampered like you never have been before, Miss Bella!" Alice smiled cheerfully at me, a huge grin spreading across her face.

"Eh, after the events of the last few weeks, I could settle for some quality pampering. I think I deserve it. This whole 'changing' business isn't too fun." I stretched my arms in the air, sighing deeply.

"Good because I would hate to force you to be pampered!" Rose pointed a threatening finger at me, quirking an eyebrow up at me, daring me to contest her.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I mumbled as I looked away, catching Edward's eye and smiling.

We sat listening to Carlisle for another few minutes before Marcus came strutting towards us, snapping his cell phone shut before he tucked it into the breast pocket of his Italian suit. I hid my laughed as I looked him over, all decked out to the nines in his black suit and pink—excuse me, _salmon_—colored button up and silver tie. He was even wearing Prada loafers. I guess some things won't change.

"I come bearing news from Italy, my new friends." Marcus grinned a mischievous little grin before sitting down next to me.

"And the verdict is…?" I asked, suddenly on edge about whether or not Aro had believed mine and Marcus' bluff about my power.

"They aren't going to come after us. Aro believed our little video and thinks that you could obliterate him if he got within fifty miles of you." Marcus laughed a hearty belly laugh, leaning back in his chair.

"Why does he think that?" Jasper asked as he and the boys finally decided to join us.

"We… may have left him a little video telling him that I had some extremely kick ass power that would destroy him with pretty much a flick of my wrist." I shrugged, looking over at Marcus.

"He was so mad after he read that. Apparently Felix and Heidi had followed him and watched Aro have a melt down about the cars and he even stomped through the laptop before he even finished the video." Marcus had a sly grin on his features. "The best part? You know how towards the end of the video I told said that I had expected him to have smashed the laptop by that point? Yeah, well he stomped through it just a second before that."

"He is so predictable it is sad." I shook my head in mock sadness. "How the hell did he ever win those wars? I would think that it would be painfully obvious what his every move would be!"

"Eh, brute force, that is how." Marcus shrugged it off. "Now, when are we arriving?"

And with that question everyone's focus slipped back to our destination.

* * *

A/N: Quote Hunt is from 30 Seconds to Mars. There are two parts in this chapter where quotes from the song appears (it just fit so well!) so you have two chances to get it!

On another topic, while I love, love, love ALL of my reviewers and readers (every single one of you!) I have to ask a little bit form you guys here. A few pet peeves of mine need to be addressed. All right, so when you review, can you please **not** TYPE LIKE THIS IN ALL CAPS?! It is sort of hard to follow and it takes a few times to figure out what is being said.

Sorry for that rant… ;o) I still love you all!

Oh, and I can't send you a reply or anything if you aren't logged in! So don't ask for your preview if you are leaving an anonymous review! But, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love all of my anonymous reviewers!!

Reviews stroke my ego… and make me type faster! You know the drill, so get to it. ;o)

Much love!


	34. A Story Forever Told, But Never Old

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

A/N: Sorry for the wait! Read the Author's Note at the bottom please! I love you all!

And major props to my Beta Portland Writer. She is so awesome it is epic.

Indulge your curiosity, loves, with CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE!

* * *

"A story forever told, but never old,  
Don't blink, don't close your eyes,  
But most of all don't apologize.  
It's me who's got the demons to wrestle now."

--"Song in My Head" by Sherwood

* * *

Thirty-One

BPOV

It had taken us a while to get everyone unloaded from the ferry but we eventually succeeded—only to have our line of cars come to a screeching halt right outside of the ferry when Carlisle slammed on the breaks and got out of his car, effectively keeping the rest of us from getting around him on this one way lane.

"The cars have just been delivered!" Carlisle announced loudly, giving us all a broad smile and a cheesy thumbs-up.

We all just nodded and told him to get back in his car. On the inside, we were all ecstatic at the prospect of having a bunch of new cars waiting for us when we arrived.

"You heard the man! Now drive so that I can get to the Enzo and hide it from Rose. I want to see if she notices in her automobile induced haze." I laughed a little at the mental image of Rosalie bitching out the guy who delivered the cars for loosing the Enzo.

"Yeah, yeah. Well if you want to get there fast, you navigate." Edward told me as he shoved the map into my hands, pointing at the already highlighted route and told me to tell him when we got close to a turn and such.

I played the part of Capitan of this ship for a while until, when I looked down at the slightly crumpled map I noticed that we only had another fifteen or twenty miles to go until we reached the Manor.

"We are almost there!" I informed Edward as I bounced slightly in my seat, my excitement bubbly up to the surface.

"Are you excited?" Edward asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes at my enthusiasm.

I chose to answer him anyways. "Yes! Everyone has been going on about how beautiful it is and how huge it is and it has made me excited to see our future home… well our home for the next few years. Still, this is going to be some much fun!" I was smiling like a madman by the time I finished my little overly excited rant.

"Yes, love, I do believe that we are going to have 'fun,' as you put it." He shook his head at me.

We sat in silence as we drove the last few miles to the Manor, my anticipation growing every second.

It didn't take long for us to pull up to a large steel gate with intricate designs on it that proudly claimed that we were at Adare Manor. Wait… Adare? Shit.

"Adare Manor? Carlisle owns Adare Manor?" I asked, my voice mirroring the disbelief I was feeling. I knew that they had said that the Manor house was huge but even I knew of Adare Manor. It had been featured on so many Travel Channel shows that I had watched over the years in a dazed stupor at four in the morning.

"Yes, I assume you have heard of it then?" Edward asked casually as he rolled down the window and punched in a quick code into the security box.

"Yes, I think this place was actually on my 'Top Places That I Definitely Want to Visit" but now we are going to live there?" I took a deep breath, as I looked up, seeing the huge Manor towering over the trees it was nestled in between.

Edward obviously wanted to change the direction of the conversation so he easily changed the direction of the conversation. "Did you know that Adare means 'the ford of the oak' in Irish? Carlisle named it because of the incredible amount of oak trees he found when walking the property. Eventually, the county surrounding the Manor decided to dub itself Adare because of the Manor." Edward gave me a little history lesson but I didn't pay attention.

My mind was still reeling when we pulled up to the front of the Manor, my eyes almost bugging out of my head as I tried to taken in the entire Manor at one time. It was a feat that proved to be impossible.

"You guys own Adare Manor…" I breathed out still not able to wrap my mind around this.

I quickly exited the car, glad that it was a cloudy day outside, and I ran about few hundred feet away from the Manor so that I could see the house in its entirety.

It stood three floors tall—not including the tower-like area that jutted out of the middle of the Manor. It was made of cool grey stone and was abundant it windows. Everywhere you looked on the house, there was some form of window or opening that would let light in. It was nothing like the Cullen's house in Forks with the wall of solid glass. No, it was better.

"Do you want to look inside, Bella?" Edward asked me as he appeared next to me, one of his cool hands running up to the back of neck.

"Yes," I whispered as I continued looking around at the Manor, eager to see if the inside was as beautiful as the outside.

"No!" I heard someone yell from down the driveway. I looked up at the same time as Edward to see Rosalie, with her window rolled down, waving at us as she sped down the drive way, skidding to a stop behind my McLaren.

"And why the hell not?" I asked, sort of peeved that she was keeping me from exploring because I really wanted to search every inch of the Manor.

"Didn't you pay attention on the ferry?" Rose huffed as she gracefully exited her car. I made a mental note to count how many times I tripped in the next few hours, but I tucked that thought away as I tried to remember the exact conversation to which Rose was referring to.

"Umm…?" I wracked my newly spacious brain. I was coming up empty.

"She wanted to redecorate your room and Marcus' room _before _you run rampant throughout the Manor and see the "before" image of the room. She only wants you to see the "after."" Rosalie gestured with her hands to signify the "before" and "after."

"Oh, right, I remember that. Well, do you know which room is going to be mine? I will just avoid it." I shrugged thinking of how easily I had solved that… now I just had to get Rosalie to agree.

"She wants to assess the rooms and pick out your 'perfect' room." Rose explained as she placed her hands on my arms, keeping me from trying to get around her a running into the house.

I looked around for Edward—who had been standing next to me when Rose pulled up—so that he could maybe pin her down while I got a head start, but he was no where to be seen.

"If you are looking for Edward—which I assume you are—he left as soon as I walked up. I think he took your luggage upstairs. And before you ask, no, you cannot go help him." She managed to squash my plan before I even got it out. Damn she was good.

"Now, before you throw a fit over lover boy's disappearance, he will agree with me on this: you can't go in there. Esme would throw a fit it you did. Then I would get yelled at, too, and there is no worse feeling than the one you get when Esme is disappointed with you." Rose shook her head at me and directed my attention away from the house.

"Edward will be back out in a few minutes and he will take you somewhere so that you aren't around when Esme brings the new furniture. She is buying it right now and I know she already had planned out what she was going buy for you both so she shouldn't be too terribly long. The have dozens of antique and furniture stores in the surrounding area." Rose latched onto my hand and directed me over to a stone bench that was sitting under a large Bradford Pear tree—it branches were bear from the frost of the weather. It was, after all, early December.

I sighed as I plopped down onto the hard bench. It was funny how for the past five years I had been praying for time to speed up so that I could just get all of this over with. But, when the Cullens dropped back into my life, unexpended, suddenly everything was exciting and going by incredibly fast…

…Thank God we had eternity.

That thought alone brought a smile back to my face as I watched Rose flutter in and out of the house carrying her luggage into the Manor with ease.

When I heard some clatter come from inside the house, I assumed it was just Rosalie coming back out for another load—though how many more things she could have in that car, I didn't know—but Edward appeared on the landing, looking around.

When he laid eyes on me, a huge smile lit up his features and he quickly walked over to me, sitting down on the bench next to me and pulling me into a hug. "We have to wait for Marcus." He explained as he rubbed circles on my back with one hand while his other ran through my hair.

"Why do we have to?" I blurted unthinkingly before I realized that my comment might have come across as rude. "No, wait, what I meant was to ask what is so important that we have to wait for Marcus?" I nodded my head once, satisfied with my correction.

"Well, for starters, Carlisle and Jasper seem to think it is a good idea to… introduce our vegetarian diet to Marcus. And, as I am sure you could tell from the little talk Rosalie gave you, Esme is very serious about getting you both out of here so that you don't see your rooms ahead of time." Edward rolled his eyes at Esme's antics.

"Alright," I agreed. "When do you think Marcus will be here?"

"Well, Jasper and Alice are just about to pull in so we will ask Alice in a minute. I am sure she will know." Edward's brow furrowed slightly as he focused on Alice's thoughts.

"Never mind…" He mumbled to himself, no doubt having seen the answer in Alice's head. "Alice says he will be here in about four minutes."

I nodded my head and pulled out of his embrace so that I could greet Alice when she pulled up. After all, I hadn't talked to her in a few hours and I am sure she had something that she was dying to tell me.

I was correct.

When Alice pulled up—Jasper and his car right on her tail—she easily slid from behind the wheel of the car and made her way towards me, greeting me with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. She then proceeded to tell me, in detail, about a few visions that she had had about the Volturi. They were pretty funny.

Not long after, Alice had me clutching my stomach in laughter while telling me about Aro's most recent breakdown.

"Marcus is here." Edward and Alice announced at the same time before looking at each other.

"If I said 'jinx you owe me a soda,' would you really buy me one?" Alice asked Edward, one of her perfect eyebrows arched gracefully over her eye.

"You tell me. You are a psychic after all…" Edward responded.

"Yes, yes you would. You would also get Jasper to trick me into drinking it. Not cool brother, not cool." Alice huffed as she turned back to her car and pulled out a few suitcases, dragging them into the house just as Marcus pulled up in his Blastolene.

"So, Marcus, how was driving Aro's car?" I laughed, pulling him into a hug before leading him over to where Jasper and Edward were talking at.

"It was everything I had ever dreamed it would be." He confessed with a big smile on his face. "I am tempted to see postcards to Aro telling him about what exactly has happened with his car. Or maybe tell him that I accidentally hit a cougar with it."

"A cougar?" I giggled. Were there even cougars in Ireland?

"Yes, those women really freak him out." Marcus winked at me.

It took a second for me to realize what exactly he was talking about.

"Aro is scared of cougars? As in the 'I am middle aged but I still dig on young men' type cougars?" I laughed not believing what I was hearing.

"Yes ma'am." Marcus nodded before turning his attention to Jasper who began filling Marcus in on the plan.

"You want me to try your vegetarian diet?" Marcus asked hesitantly, wary of what was going to happen next.

"Yes, but we only ask that you try it." Edward nodded, confirming Marcus' speculation.

"Though we would really like if you did change your ways…!" I hinted, bumping Marcus lightly with my shoulder, giving him my best shit-eating grin possible.

"Eh, what is the harm in it?" Marcus shrugged. "But I have been feeding off of humans for nearly a millennia so I am not sure how easy this transition would be if I did in fact choose to change my ways."

"We understand completely." Jasper commented. "All we are asking is for you to try."

"Alright, how do you want to do this?" Marcus relented, looking around at all three of us.

"Well, Edward and Bella are going to go explore the grounds for a while so that they will be out of Esme's way when she brings the new furniture in. so why don't you accompany them and I am sure Edward will tell you which animals taste best." Jasper smiled at all of us before turning on his heel and quickly disappearing into the Manor with a pile of luggage in his hands, no doubt going to help Alice out.

"Shall we go, kids?" Marcus asked as he headed out towards what I assumed was the gardens.

Edward and I both voiced our agreement and caught up quickly with Marcus. Edward took the lead and directed us through a beautifully landscaped garden and into the trees that were just past it. I hoped that later we would have more time to come back and explore the gardens.

"Fundamentally, hunting animals is the same as it is with hunting humans. All you need to do is focus on a particular scent and then let your instincts guide you. It is simple." Edward stopped about a hundred yards into the words and stepped to the side, gesturing for Marcus to take the lead and find his first prey.

It didn't take more than a minute before Marcus had latched onto a scent and was rapidly pursuing it. Edward and I were hot on his trail—I was following for the show and Edward was following to supervise.

When Marcus reached an area where the trees were thinned out slightly, he stopped. I could see a fairly good-sized buck standing a few hundred yards to the west, clearly unaware of our presence.

I was waiting for Marcus to make a move and pounce on the buck, but he never did. Instead, he slipped his suit jacket off, hanging it on a tree branch that extended out near his shoulders. He then proceeded to unbutton his cuffs and roll his sleeves up to his elbows.

"Watch this for me, won't you?" Marcus asked me, gesturing slightly to his coat before he took off after the buck, pinning it down and snapping its neck without a moments notice.

"That wasn't terrible." He confessed after he had drained the buck. He settled out of his crouch and brushed the dirt off of his trousers and made his way back to Edward and I—he even unrolled and buttoned his cuffs and put his jacket back on.

"Is that how you guys always stayed so clean when you fed?" I finally asked.

"Yes, dear heart. We all are very careful about our feedings. Plus, after a few hundred years you learn a few tricks and get the hang of it. A mess is terribly undesirable." And with the Marcus turned back the way we came and headed back towards the garden.

"Do you suppose Esme has finished with her task?" He asked as we neared the edge of the woods.

"Yes she has and she is eagerly awaiting both of you. She wants to be the first one to 'welcome' you to your new home." Edward ran a hand through his hair and reached for my hand, swinging it in between us as we walked.

"Great. I would really like a good long shower." Marcus confessed as he picked up the speed.

"Marcus, Edward, Bella!" Esme called as we rounded the side of the Manor, coming into view of the front entrance.

"She has been waiting out here for about ten minutes even though I told her exactly when you guys were going to arrive." Alice commented, appearing beside me.

"Hush. She is excited. Let her have her moment because this obviously means a lot to her." I patted Alice's hair, hoping to annoy her just a smidge before I was engulfed in a hug from Esme.

"I know you two are going to love your new rooms—I don't need Alice to tell me that!" Esme gushed as she pulled away from me and turned to Marcus pulling him into a hug, too.

I almost laughed at the surprised expression on his face. It was a mixture of shock and disbelief. But he quickly recovered and hugged her back.

"Now, come on in. I want to show you two where I have put you. And, feel free to move rooms if you want. However I think that the ones I picked out for you are the best!" Esme smiled as she led us inside.

I couldn't stop staring at the inside of the Manor, as I was drug through the front door. I wanted to stop and examine all of the ornate designs and intricate patterns that adorned every surface area.

There were glossy white tile floors with little burgundy patterns weaving across them. The furniture, that I could see, in the foyer and sitting rooms were burgundy and an off white with dark cherry maple end tables.

"This is beautiful, Esme." I told her as she led us up a big white marble staircase, taking us up to the second floor and to the left.

"Thank you, Bella." Esme told me before she slipped into her 'tour guide' mode.

"If we would have taken a right, we would have been headed towards Alice and Jaspers, Emmett and Rosalie's rooms. To the left—where we are heading now—used to be where I stored things such as my antiques and old documentation that we keep around. We are sort of pack rats." Esme smiled as she gestured to a few doors.

We walked a few paces further before Esme stopped. "This is going to be your room, Marcus. This used to be one of the bigger rooms where I put my antiques but Emmett easily cleared those out in a second an now you have a few hundred square feet of room." Esme opened the thick wooden door and stepped inside, Edward, Marcus, Alice and I followed her in.

"Thank you, ma'am." Marcus said as he looked around the spacious room. It was perfect for him.

The floor was a thick beige carpet and the furniture was all done in a dark, almost black, colored wood and iron. There was a plush looking couch on the far wall with a TV on the wall across from it. He had a desk with a computer and everything he could possibly need to be comfortable.

"You are welcome." Esme patted him on the back lightly before she turned to the rest of us and led us out of the room and up to the third floor.

"Carlisle and I have our rooms downstairs near the kitchen." Esme spoke as we arrived on the third landing. "Now, Bella, I wasn't entirely sure what to do for a room for you so I hope you liked what I ended up going with."

"I am sure I will love whatever you did." I reassured her confidently. I was positive that Esme knew exactly what I would need.

"Well, I put all of your stuff in Edward's room and I called the delivery company and that bed and mattress you are Edward bought are being delivered here and should arrive next week. But, every person has his or her own special place in this house. And I decided that we had the perfect place for you." Esme led us to the right, which meant that Edward's rooms were on the left.

"What is you special room?" I asked Edward as we followed Esme.

"I bet you can guess. It is quite obvious." Edward told me.

"My guess would be a music room." I shrugged, thinking that was the only thing of Edward's that he would want a special room for.

"Yes, that is correct. I would tell you good job but it is really easy to figure out if you know me at all." He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him.

"Oh, Bella!" Alice suddenly called to me. I turned my head slightly to look at her. "You are going to love what Esme chose for you! It is so… you!"

At that time, Esme stopped in front of two double doors and paused.

"Edward's piano is in the door to the left." She pointed to a thick black door. "But through here is your area."

She opened the door and ushered me in quickly. And what I saw made me gasp.

* * *

A/N: No Quote Hunt. I am getting really bad at those… lol. BUT if you can guess what Bella's special room is, I will send you a preview!

You guys! I managed to get 1,701 reviews without getting flamed. Then I got three in a row. Haha! You do you have any idea how spectacular that is?! That has to be a record, seriously. ;o) Thank you to all of my kick-ass reviewers! You are why I do what I do!

The only down side to this? Well, they all left anonymous reviews! Now, what type of pussies would do that? (Cough*Cowards*cough) I am not egotistical, but I do believe that I have a good story! I would read it. ;o) So, I ask you flamers to come back, bash me again, and take a moment to log in. I want to see what you write and how it compares to what I do here.

Then, I will lay into you with all of my fiery bitchiness and you won't recover. Just kidding!

I am nice, I will thank you for your time and a opinions and then move on, unless you want me to reduce you to tears, then I will. It is easy. I do it all the time! ;o)

Now, go stroke my ego some more and you will get a chapter sooner! You know the drill so get to it.

Much love.


	35. Her Diamonds

Disclaimer: It really isn't mine.

A/N: I would like to point out—to anyone who didn't figure this out last chapter—Adare Manor is real. I am not creative enough to make up an entire Manor in my head. Bitch, please. Sorry, SNL reference there…

I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I would give you some snazzy excuse here but really I was just being lazy. Lol. I got the new Sims 3 on Monday and I have been playing religiously on my laptop ever since! So my writing time was cut short.

On a sadder note, I want everyone to take at least 30 seconds out of your day and say a little prayer for our fellow fanfic author, KrystyWroth. She has been having some major personal shit lately and really needs your prayers right now. Oh, and go drop her a PM or a review to let her know that you are thinking of her! I am sure she would love that!

Now, after that epic Author's Note…Indulge your curiosity, loves, with CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO!

* * *

"I can't take no more  
Her tears like diamonds on the floor  
And her diamonds bring me down  
Cuz I can't help her now  
She's down in it  
She tried her best and now she can't win it's  
Hard to see them on the ground  
Her diamonds falling down."

--"Her Diamonds" by Rob Thomas

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Two

BPOV

"Through here is your area." Esme opened the door and ushered me in quickly. And what I saw made me gasp.

It was a large room—roughly the size of two of Marcus' rooms put together—but it was lined with hundreds of dark wood shelves that I could smell from here. The thick pine scent was relaxing and addictive, making me want to camp out in the room for hours with Edward just inhaling both of their scents.

I closed my eyes and smiled as I took another deep breath, letting the musky scent wash over me.

"Do you like it?" Esme asked as she walked out towards the middle of the room, grabbing a pile of white sheets from the ground near a large burgundy and gold trimmed couch.

"I love it." I assured her, pulling her into a big hug and smiling.

"I knew you would!" Esme cheered as she pulled away, dropping the sheets right outside of the doors before she came back inside.

"I told her that you would love it, but she still was worried and kept doubting her decision." Alice giggled lightly, shaking her head at her "mom's" antics.

"There are books over here." Esme walked over to one small area of the room that had a few shelves filled with about three-dozen old leather-bound novels. "There aren't many here because since Carlisle has had the Manor built, he hasn't lived in it for too long. So, there are so many areas that you can fill up with your preferences and the rest of us will put our favorites in here too. That way you can read what we like and we can read what you like—broaden your literary horizons, if you will."

"That is a brilliant idea, Esme." I beamed as I made my way over to the older books. "I think it is perfect."

"I am glad you like it dear." Esme smiled at me before she and Alice excused themselves and left Edward and I alone in the library.

"Do you really like it?" Edward asked after a few minutes.

I nodded as I observed the titles on the shelves in front of me.

_The Crisis, Lady Baltimore, Great Expectations, Hospital Sketches, The Invisible Man, _and _The Red House Mystery_ were among the many books—novels and multiple medical dissertations—that graced the shelves.

I was excited to start reading some of these but the weight of everything that had happened over the last day or two was really starting to wear me down. Not physically, but more emotionally than anything.

I was debating whether or not I wanted to pull out one of the old books and plop down on the soft looking sofa, or if I wanted to go explore the huge house and help unpack. I probably should choose the latter, but I just wanted to take a little breather.

With a sigh I yanked _The Portrait of Dorian Grey _off of one of the lower shelves—I couldn't, for the life of me, reach the higher ones—and was about to turn around to head to the couch when Edward came up to me, making me remember that he was here.

"What is it?" He asked, placing his hands on my shoulders holding me at his arms length and bending over so that he was at eye level with me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, playing stupid as I shrugged out from under his penetrating golden gaze and walked carefully over to the couch.

"Something is wrong, and it has been for the past day." Edward reasoned as he followed me, hot on my heels. "If you don't tell me, love, I can't help you with this."

"It is nothing." I mumbled, not meeting his eyes. I had pushed all of my feelings to the back of my mind for the past few days, ignoring them, but apparently I hadn't hid them as well as I had thought.

"I can read you like a book, Bella, so don't cop out and give me an empty answer like that one." Edward sat down next to me, twisting his body so that he was angled towards me but not touching me.

I didn't answer him even though I knew he wasn't going to put this to rest. I scoured my brain looking for something—anything—that could pass as the truth without giving me away.

I came up empty.

Not to mention the fact that I would feel like utter shit if I lied to Edward. I didn't want to do that to him or to me.

"Tell me what it is, love." He begged, pulling my face into his hands and forcing me to meet his pleading gaze.

"Nothing that can be fixed really… it is just a feeling that I have." I shrugged; dismissing this as a feeling even though I knew it was much more.

"Tell me, Bella. I cannot even try to help you out or anything if you don't talk to me. And you know I will just go to Jasper if you don't tell me yourself." Edward warned me, trying to joke around a little but he failed.

"I suppose you are right." I sighed, knowing fully that Jasper wouldn't hesitate to tell Edward if he thought it was best for me.

I set my book down lightly on the end table while I thought of how to tell Edward what I was feeling. I knew that he had worries and doubts about my change and this would only confirm them for him. Then, I had no doubt that he would blow things out of proportion simply because he was Edward and that is what he does.

I situated myself on the sofa so that my legs were tucked up under me and I was facing Edward. His face was a picture of love and worry, all because of me. He had small wrinkles peppering his marble forehead in an adorable way.

"Bella?" He probed, making me realize that I had been out in my own little world for a little too long.

"Sorry," I mumbled, ducking my head so that I could watch my hands clench into and out of fists, repeatedly.

"Tell me." Edward placed one strong finger under my chin and tapped it lightly as though he was asking permission to see my face rather than forcing me.

I made one more fist for good measure before I looked up at Edward, forcing a little smile onto my unwilling face.

"It really is nothing, I promise. However, if you really want to know…" I trailed off in hopes that he would drop the subject. I knew Edward, though, and once he has his mind set on something, he is going to do it.

Unfortunately, he had his mind set on this particular thing.

Edward simply raised an eyebrow in response, telling me with his eyes to just get on with it, that dragging it out wouldn't do any good.

"I have just had this strange feeling since we left Volterra, shoot, since I woke up from my change." I plunged directly into the root of the problem, wanting to get this over with like a Band-Aid. One rip and you are through.

"All right, what type of feelings?" Edward had switched from worried boyfriend—if boyfriend was even the correct term—to analytical theorizer in a matter of seconds.

"There are a whole slew of them." I explained, feeling a little better from shedding some light on these problems. "I feel a little nervous about whether or not I will meet you expectations or will I slip up. I feel wary because I know that this isn't over with yet. And I have a gut feeling that there will be trouble soon."

"What type of trouble do you think is coming?" Edward reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, rubbing my arm reassuringly.

"I am not sure. I would say the Volturi but I am one hundred percent sure that we have seen the last of Aro where conflicts are concerned. I don't know what else could present a problem to us though." I confessed feeling more than a little like a moron for having these odd feelings that I just couldn't dismiss. But the question was: do I trust my heart or just my mind?

"Well, the nerves about… slipping up are absolutely normal. We are going against the essence of our kind by choosing to drink from animals so you are bound to feel slightly weird when it comes to that area. However, the wariness and your gut feeling are a complete other matter. I am not sure what to tell you about that." Edward admitted as he slid up next to me and looped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his strong side.

"I don't know what it is either." I whispered into his arm, nuzzling my face into the thick fabric of his sweater. "If I figure it out, you will be the first to know."

Edward let out a little chuckle that shook his entire body and mine. "Thanks, I was worried that I would have to pull it out of you."

"You worry too much." I teased him, turning so that I could poke a finger at his chest.

"Maybe I worry just enough and you just over react to people worrying about you." Edward countered as he leaned closer to me, poking my chest. I leaned back away from him and his little advances.

He had a devilish little smirk on his face as he leaned closer to me, causing me to lean even farther away and wonder what he was thinking. When his eyes darted down to my lips, I understood.

He leaned in closer to me before I could right myself from the slightly uncomfortable position I was currently in which involved me hanging halfway off the couch with a very close Edward above me.

"Eddie m'boy!" A loud voice boomed from the doors to the room, startling us both so much that Edward pulled back quickly; taking the arm that was on my shoulder with him. Without anything to hold me up anymore, I fell off of the sofa and onto the floor with a loud "oomph."

"Oops." A thick Irish accent said from the door. "I guess I was a bit too loud for you, huh?" The feminine voice giggled as she came into view.

A stoutish woman came sauntering around the edge of the couch and plopped herself right down next to Edward's shocked body. She had flaming red hair, which was pulled up into a tight bun at the base of her neck. Her ruby red eyes were alight with humor as she looked from my stunned expression to Edward's shocked one.

"Bet you were not expecting me for a few more days judging by the looks on your faces." Her accent was so heavy that I had to sit there for a second longer just to process exactly what she had said.

"I am sorry," I began as I grabbed onto the hand that Edward had extended out to me. "But who are you?"

"Ouch, you wound my pride. Surely Eddie and his family have told you about me. I would be sorely disappointed if they had not." The lady slapped Edward daintily on the cheek as if that was how she reprimanded him.

"Umm…" I thought for a second about who the Cullens had told me about before it dawned on me. "OH! Maggie, right?"

"Yes ma'am." She stood up and pulled me into a hug as soon as Edward released my hand. "I am assuming you are Bella."

"Yes, I am." I pulled away from the hug and smiled at the loud woman.

"Well then, it is an honor to meet you!" Maggie exclaimed. "I have heard a whole lot about you from my dear Carlisle. However last time we spoke I seem to remember him saying that you were human." Maggie looked me over. "What happened? Did Eddie give up in trying to resist you?" She giggled and elbowed me in the ribs.

"No, Edward didn't slip up." I rubbed my side, feeling a little uncomfortable from the hard blow to the ribs. She had bony elbows!

"Aro royally screwed up." Edward stated simply before he rose from his spot on the sofa to greet Maggie, pulling her into a small hug.

"Ah, doesn't he always?" Maggie joked.

"How did you know we were here? I didn't think that Carlisle has called you yet." Edward asked as he sat back down on the sofa, pulling me down next to him.

"Well, I heard your big oaf of a brother and that sexy blonde boy going at it in the back yard; something about what wing of the house they wanted to put the new game room." Maggie shrugged lightly before she sat down on the coffee table across from the sofa.

"Yeah, I heard their thoughts as they were leaving the house. I think Emmett won that argument though—they are putting it in the basement." Edward rolled his eyes slightly, squeezing my shoulder.

"I don't want to eat up all of your time. I know you are probably eager to get on with what I interrupted." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively at us before letting out a loud laugh. "Take it easy on the poor lad, will you Bella? He isn't nearly as experienced as the rest of us!"

And with that she twirled on her heel and exited the room.

"So…" I said after a moment of silence. "That is Maggie, huh?"

"Yeah, that is definitely Maggie. She hasn't changed on bit since I last saw her." Edward mumbled. I knew him well enough to know that from his tone of voice, he was embarrassed.

"Where is she headed off to now?" I asked, curious as to what the boisterous lady was up to now.

"Erm… she is headed towards Carlisle and Esme's room but they are otherwise… occupied. I don't think she cares though. She will probably burst right in and strike up a conversation with them no matter what state of undress they are in." Edward rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head.

At that moment a loud scream rung out from the main floor, reaching all the way to us.

"Did she just…?" I trailed off.

"Yep." Edward said, not needing to say anything more to get the point across.

Edward released me fro him arms and got up off of the couch and grabbed my book off of the table, setting it back onto the book shelf.

"Come on, I will show you around."

oOoOoOoOoOo

Three hours, two wrong turns, and one confused Edward later, I found myself sitting on a musty couch in the corner of some random room in the basement.

"We are lost." I repeated for the umpteenth time.

"Stop saying that. We are not lost—we are simply misplaced." Edward commented as he waved his cell phone around in the air, trying desperately to get the service that wasn't there.

"You tried that spot a few minutes ago." I told him. "What makes you think that it would have signal now?"

"Hmm… maybe the fact that I just got three bars has something to do with it?" Edward stated in a tone that clearly said that he wanted nothing more than to stick his tongue out at me.

I heard him dial a few buttons nut as soon as his finger moved over the little green SEND button; Alice waltzed in behind him and shot him a smug smile.

"Next time do you want me to give you a basket of breadcrumbs, Hansel?" She teased before turning and leaving Edward and I behind.

"I guess we follow her." I suggested as I pushed myself off of the couch and past Edward, hurrying to catch up to Alice before I lost her.

"You have excellent timing, you know." I told her when I caught up.

"It is one of the perks of being psychic. You can plan dramatic entrances before they happen and know exactly how they will turn out." Alice shrugged before taking a left, leading me down a familiar hallway. I realized that Edward and I had walked down this hall to get into the basement.

Sure enough, a flight of stairs came into view.

"Where is Edward?" I asked, suddenly realizing that he wasn't following us.

"I think he is still in that dank old room. He can find his own way. If not, it is his loss for not following me when he could." Alice let out a little laugh before she danced her way up the stairs.

"You know how to get back to your room from here." It wasn't a question, but a statement. And with that, Alice was gone, disappearing down a long corridor to my left.

I shrugged and returned to the room that Edward and I would be sharing, deciding to grab a book from the library and wait for him.

Fifteen minutes later I was getting a little impatient. Edward should have been able to follow Alice's scent and mine and get out of there by now, right? My rational side argued that someone could have stopped him on his way back and he was just chatting.

Still, I couldn't kick the sneaking suspicion I had that he was still down there.

I decided to wait for another fifteen minutes, but I was too antsy to sit still for that long. So eight minutes into my waiting time I found myself wandering down the same hallways that Alice had led me up not even half an hour ago.

When I arrived at the room, the door was shut but I could still smell Edward's uniquely intoxicating scent. If he wasn't here now, he had just left a matter of seconds ago.

I opened the door and stepped in, letting my eyes adjust to the dark in the room. Before I could open my mouth to call out to Edward, a light flicked on in the middle of the room.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to come back for me." Edward commented from his spot in the middle of the room. "I was starting to worry that you had forgotten about me."

"Forget about you?" I scoffed. "Well, maybe…"

"Bella!"

"Sorry, Edward, I am just kidding!" I laughed at his shocked reaction to my teasing comment.

"Why are you still down here anyways?" I asked as I walked back over to the musky mothball ridden couch that I had been reclining on earlier.

"This is the only place in the house that I know that we can have total privacy and everyone's thoughts are sort of dulled and not as loud as they usually are. I don't know why it is that way but I may be spending a lot of time down here." Edward shot me a sexy little half smile as he walked over to the couch and sat next to me.

"Privacy, huh?" I smiled a little in response to his statement.

When he nodded his head in agreement, I pushed myself up onto my knees and turned towards Edward, quirking an eyebrow up at him.

"And what do you intend to do with this privacy?" I questioned, leaning in a little closer.

"I intend to do what I should have done the minute you woke up." Edward stated simply before his arms shot out and pulled me to his chest, positioning me so that I was sitting sideways on his lap.

My breathing picked up pace and my breaths became shallower as Edward's eyes darted to my lips as he slowly leaned towards me.

I was a little—correction: A LOT—impatient and he was taking his time with this as though I was still the breakable little human. With that thought in mind, I was determined to make him realize just how un-fragile I was now.

I reached my hands out and grasped firmly onto Edward's cheeks, effectively halting any more of his painfully slow forward movements. A confused look passed over his face and his mouth opened to question me, but before he could get any sound out, I crashed my lips to his wanting to make our first real kiss a good one.

His lips were still at first, unresponsive from the shock but in a matter of a half a second, he was kissing me back with just as much force as I was using on him.

I felt his tongue dart out and sweep gently across my top lip. The feeling of it mixed with the desire I felt for Edward just heightened the sensations rocketing through me. A shiver passed through my body as I opened my mouth to his, having no idea what the hell I was doing but deciding to just go ahead and wing it.

When our tongues collided, dancing together in an ever-sensual dance, I moaned a deep, throaty moan. I had tasted many great tasting foods in my life, but the taste that was Edward was by far the best of them all. No doubt about it.

I knew that we didn't need to breathe but the drive to do so was still ingrained in my instinctive nature. So when I started feeling uncomfortable from the lack of air I was receiving, I pulled back from the kiss and rested my forehead against Edward's shoulder, my breaths coming in short, staccato gusts.

If I actually tried to focus on something other than that mind-blowing kiss, I could hear Edward breathing just as erratically as I was.

"You know," Edward got out finally. "I was going to give you a nice little kiss to convey my love or whatever it is that they do in romance novels to share their feelings, but that kiss beats the one I had in mind hands down."

"Sorry," I chuckled, not meaning it at all. "You were taking too damn long to cover a distance of about six inches. I needed to speed up the process."

"I am glad you did." Edward admitted as he wrapped his arms around my torso and pulled me into a tight hug, not letting me go for a good five minutes.

"We should head back upstairs and finish unpacking. I know Carlisle is anxious to discuss a few things with you." Edward informed me as he stood up from the couch, taking me up with him.

He moved my legs so that they were wrapped around his middle and my arms were looped around his neck. Edward slipped his hands beneath my butt to hold me in place and started off in the direction out of here.

I sighed into his shoulder, content to be where I was.

* * *

A/N: Quote Hunt is from Thrice! Go find it!

So how did you like their first kiss as Vamp&Vamp? Haha. It was epic in my opinion. Ugh, if I typed that much for their first kiss, think of how long a lemon would be! (This is a "T" story, chill.)

Speaking of lemons…

I am writing a One-Shot (Completely unrelated to this story, in fact it will be AH/AU with a Lemon Zest) and I am going to post it in celebration of getting 2,000 reviews on GIA! So as soon as I reach 2,000 I will post it! So GO review! I am soooooo close, it is painful. ;o)

Thanks to Portland Writer, my beta.

Bella's power is coming up soon. (Maybe as soon as the next chapter unless the plot decides to completely disregard me and go another direction...) Anyways, can I hear any guesses?

Much love!


	36. The Relationship Hole

Disclaimer: I so do not own Twilight. If by some strange twist of fate I did own it, I would be completing Midnight Sun right now and not holding out on you all. ;o)

A/N: Sorry for this chapter being short. It has been a rough week. Too many scares… enough to last me a lifetime. I swear, my friends are going to kill me at a young age.

Not to mention all of the celebrities dying. Tragic. Someone out there is acting on elaborate contingency plans… I know it. But, then I ask them, why the fuck Billy Mayes? He rocked something awesome! "Mighty Putty." Shit works. No lie.

Thanks to my Beta.

Indulge your curiosity, loves with CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE!!

I've always been told, you will never grow old  
You live your life too fast, but I don't want to rest  
I'm not old and tired, but I've been trough fire  
And I've seen enough, and I might never be the same again,  
But have you seen my friends, they're just the same."

--"Dance With Me" by The Sounds

Chapter Thirty-Three

BPOV

It didn't take too terribly long for us to unpack our clothes and belongings into the various drawers and closets that were located in our area of the Manor. We had a few…delays.

I chuckled to myself as I thought back to the times where Edward would come out of nowhere and pull me to him for a deep, passionate kiss.

I had always secretly envied other couples for their ease in their physical relationships. When Edward and I had been together back in Forks, I remember looking around and seeing people like Jessica, Angela, Mike and my various other friends hooking up with people or their significant others without a worry as to whether or not their partner would accidentally kill them.

They took for granted what I coveted.

Every kiss, every caress… anything that I could get from Edward, back then, I took gratefully, happy for him even giving us a chance when he could have so easily ran away and made a new life in a new town.

However it bothered me that while he could give and I could take, I couldn't easily reciprocate. Edward had always been worried that I would possibly take it too far; push him a little too hard. He knew his limits, so I let him dictate them.

Now that I was his equal in most aspects of the word, I could take what he willingly gave me and then turn around and reciprocate the action without the fear of him loosing control.

It was the best feeling I have ever had beside the first time Edward voiced his love for me.

I felt, warm—despite my cool, stony skin—and, more importantly, for the first time in over five years I felt desired.

"Bella," Edward called as he came up the stairs with a suitcase that was clearly not his nor mine.

"What is with that?" I pointed towards the animal print duffel that he had thrown haphazardly towards me, the bag landing about a foot from me.

"A few days ago Alice had a vision of a few books that you wanted to read and put in the library so she ordered them off of the Internet and they just arrived. It was a good thing you were up here and distracted. I don't think you are quite ready for that close of contact with humans." Edward informed me as he strolled over to the empty suitcases he had piled on top of the bed.

I nodded and mumbled my thanks to him, asking him to relay it to Alice if he saw her before I happened to.

"You are welcome, Bella." Alice said as she walked into the room and grabbed the bag with the books off of the ground. "I got you some books that you had decided to get for yourself, I just beat you to it, and then I got a few for Jasper and I, too. You will like those, too."

"Thanks Alice, I really appreciate it." I gave her a hug and a peck on the cheek.

She just nodded at me as she sat onto the floor and started pulling out books and putting them into piles. I wasn't sure what her organization method was, but I trusted Alice to make the right decisions.

"Hello!" Emmett came in next with Jasper in tow. They both were a little dirty with what looked like leaves and twigs matted into their hair and clothes.

"Who won?" Edward mumbled as he emerged from his big closet to get more suitcases.

"I did and Emmett is being a sore loser about it. The oaf claims that I cheated. How I would do that, I have yet to figure out." Jasper chuckled as he plopped down onto the floor next to Alice, planting a kiss in her hair before picking up a book and skimming the back of it.

"He thinks you screwed up his emotions." Edward informed Jasper with a roll of his eyes.

"Like I said, he is being a sore loser." Jasper shook his head a little at Emmett.

"So, you two," Emmett began, eyeing Edward and I. "Did you finally get it on? You were alone in the basement for quite a while…"

If I was human I would have been so red right now.

"No, Emmett." I said as calmly as I could. Edward was standing in the corner glaring daggers at his burly bear of a brother. "We didn't get it on."

"Good, Bella. That is definitely The Relationship Hole. So until you two kids are married and such, do not allow him to convince you to take a ride on his disco stick." Emmett schooled me in a matter of fact tone.

I just shrugged and nodded, fighting the urge to laugh at Emmett's impromptu sex-ed. I glanced down to see Jasper doing the same.

Alice's eyes were glazed over, in the midst of a vision.

"Let's go!" Alice squealed before she stood up quickly, knocking over a few stacks of her carefully organized books in the process.

She dashed over to me and latched onto my hand dragging me out of the room and into the hall as soon as Carlisle was making his way up to the top of the stairs. He simply rolled his eyes when Alice came to an abrupt stop in front of him.

"We are ready." Alice cheered.

"Ready for what?" I asked, slightly confused by what was going on here. Alice's previous vision must have shown her something to do with Carlisle and me being… ready?... what?

"We are going to--" Alice and Carlisle began at the same time before they stopped and shot each other looks.

"All right, all right, you say it." Alice conceded after a moment, waving one tiny hand in the air and slouching off towards the first floor. "I will be waiting for you guys outside."

Carlisle and I watched as Alice disappeared down the stairs. She really was strange, there was no denying that. But I loved her, despite her short fallings.

"Care to finish that statement?" I asked after a second, turning my attention beck to Carlisle.

"Yes, well, what I was going to say is that we are going to test and see if you have a power. Some times these things develop over time, so if one doesn't pop up today, it does not mean that you don't have one." Carlisle explained as he placed a hand on my back and steered me down the stairs.

"That is fine, I am not expecting anything." I admitted with a small shrug. "I figure I was lucky enough to have them as a human so why so I get the best of both worlds and have them after my change, too. Doesn't seem fair to everyone else."

"Don't think like that. You, more than anyone else, deserved what you were given." He smiled at me.

"However, I also want you to know that the tests that we are going to do today are nothing major or anything like that. We aren't going to push you so soon after your change. So, that may also be a factor in whether or not we find a power today or not." Carlisle opened the front door for me and led me out into the slightly windy air of the night.

It struck me funny that I wasn't feeling the slightest bit strange about the fact that I didn't have to eat normally or sleep, or even go to the toilet! I guess those feelings would come in time. But, as of right now, it felt completely natural to be out here at a little past two in the morning.

"I understand. I don't think I will be too terribly disappointed if I end up powerless." I told Carlisle as we passed through the garden, the light of the moon illuminating the flowers in the most beautiful of ways.

"You might be surprised." Carlisle stated simply.

"I have spent too long, in my opinion, being labeled as 'special' or 'unique' by everyone. It made me feel like sort of an abomination and a novelty at the same time… I didn't like either of those feelings, really." I told him honestly, thinking back to all the times people and vampires, alike, had treated me differently or such simply because I was different.

"While I sympathize with you, what you had was a blessing, Bella. Without it, I doubt that you would be here today. You abilities saved you so many times. I don't think you even realize it." Carlisle looked down at me, the sympathy shining through his eyes.

"I suppose…" I trailed off, think about how much Carlisle was like those parents who are always right, and know that they are always right.

"Plus, if you do have an extraordinary gift like I think you will, then it could be such a benefit to this family in the future. Who knows what you could help us prevent or protect us from. You are not the only factor in this complex equation that is our existence." He patted me on the shoulder, coming to a stop in the middle of the huge area of grass in the backyard.

"You are right again. That was selfish of me to only think of myself, wasn't it?" I shot him a sheepish little half grin.

"No, no, that isn't what I meant at all!" Carlisle exclaimed.

"Even if you didn't intend for it to come out that way, that is exactly how I was acting." I corrected him, not wanting him to feel bad for something he didn't do.

"Not at all. It is perfectly natural to put yourself first. It is our instinct, human and vampire alike, to protect ourselves about all else, is it not? Survival of the fittest, right? If you are the fittest then why should you have to suffer through something that you could easily beat?" Carlisle laughed at his own little explanation, his eyes shining in the moonlight.

"True, true." I laughed with him.

"Here is what we are going to do, Bella." Carlisle began as he gestured out to the land around us. "We are going to test simple skills of yours to begin with to see if you excel, beyond the normal newborn parameters, in any of those areas."

"Sounds good to me." I agreed as Carlisle stepped away from me and walked out a good few hundred yards away from me before he turned around.

"All right, I have various members of the family, Marcus included, spread out." Carlisle explained. "I want you to close your eyes and tell me if you hear any of them."

I did as he said, closing my eyes and sucking in a deep breath before focusing my attention and energy on my sense of hearing.

I must have sat there for ten minutes listening for something, anything that was out of the ordinary. I came up empty handed.

"Bella… you can stop now." Carlisle laughed as I opened my eyes with what I was sure was a confused expression on my face. "Obviously you have no special abilities with your hearing… if anything, your hearing is worse than to be expected."

"How do you figure that?" I asked, slightly miffed that I was sub-par in some area.

"Turn around and you will understand." Carlisle let out another little chuckle as I turned around warily, not sure what to expect.

Standing behind me, embarrassingly enough, were all of the Cullens plus Marcus. Somehow I hadn't even heard them come up on me.

"So I guess I would be an incredibly easy target, huh?" I joked a little, staring at all of their amused faces…

…Well, Jasper wasn't amused, he seemed almost worried.

"Bella, the fact that you didn't even show signs of knowing that we were there is sort of alarming." Jasper stated. "Was your hearing damaged as a human?"

"No…" I was pretty sure that I could hear just fine, thank you very much.

"Well then, I am sorry, Bella, but your hearing really sucks." Jasper's lips twitched up a smile.

"It's okay. I never really bothered to listen to people as a human anyways. I tended to tune them out… they thought I was listening but, no, I wasn't." A little giggle bubbled to my lips.

"All right, let's try something else shall we?" Carlisle came over, placing his hands over my eyes tightly before instructing everyone to go back to where they were. "Now we are going to test you vision…"

That statement set the tone for the next few hours.

I spent the time being submitted to Carlisle's various tests. The results were… less than stellar.

Eyesight: average.

Smell: average.

Strength: negative. (I don't really want to talk about it…)

Tactile: slightly above average but nothing amazing.

Hearing: really, really negative.

Like I said, it was not good.

"Bella, remember what I said about these tests being easy?" Carlisle asked as he came and sat down next to me. We weren't exactly sure where everyone else was. They had run off for a test and they just hadn't come back.

"Yeah, what about it?" I picked my head up out of my hands and looked at Carlisle.

"I wasn't lying to you. This really is the basic stuff. And, to be honest, I have no idea what I am doing." Carlisle admitted with a small laugh as he stared out at the sky. It was still dark but I could see the faint glimmer of light rising on the horizon.

"What do you mean by that? Surely you have done this before with your other family members." I quirked an eyebrow up at Carlisle.

"Actually, I have not done this with everyone else. Either we knew their powers right off the bat or we just didn't bother looking for one. You are the only person that I have ever met that had powers as a human so I am trying little things to see if your powers manifested as a vampire." Carlisle explained. It made sense, I guess, but I still felt weird about it.

"Well," Emmett began as he appeared from the trees, returning from wherever he was. "I think that we should stop testing for random things like we have been and we should have just checked to see if Bella still has her original powers. That would make more sense than running around like a headless chicken in the dark seeing if we can find the needle in the haystack."

"…What?" I sat up straight and looked at Emmett. "You are aware that you stuck three different metaphors or whatever they are together?"

"Eh, it is okay. You get the picture." Emmett shrugged as he sat down next to Carlisle and I. He wrapped on burly arm around my shoulders and pulling me to him. My head hit his hard chest a little roughly, but I didn't mind.

"You know, Emmett, you are right. Maybe we should see if Bella still has her original abilities. Maybe they have been magnified." Carlisle moved to get up and he walked around a little, probably think of how we were going to test it.

"I will do the test, Carlisle." Marcus announced as he and the rest of our missing family decided to show up. "After all, the Volturi did quite a few when she first arrived so I know what to look for and what buttons to press."

Carlisle nodded his head in agreement.

"Where were you all?" I asked, curious about what they were doing.

"We ran into Maggie…" Rosalie began with a slight roll of her eyes.

"She wanted to talk to us about a questionable noise she might have heard in the Master Bedroom's chimney a few years ago." Esme explained. "She gave us a big long explanation about it and how she investigated the sound. Turns out it was just Siobhan messing around with her."

"I should have paid more attention to her thoughts." Edward sighed. "We could have avoided that entire thing. I was too scared to look in there though."

We all sat around and talked for a few more minutes before Marcus declared that he knew the perfect way to test me out.

"Attack me." Marcus stated simply. He stood in the middle of the backyard with his arms spread wide.

"What?!" I couldn't believe what he was asking me. Attack him? I think not.

"Attack. Me." He repeated slowly, a serious expression on his face.

"You know how dangerous that is! If I do still have my previous powers, you have seen how easily I loose control and rip people to shreds and I was human then!" I exclaimed, wildly gesturing with my hands as I tried to get him to see my point.

"Yes, I know. However we have seven other strong, quick and experienced vampires here to stop you from going too far. Plus, if you pull my arm off I can re-attach it easily, it is one of the perks of being a vampire." Marcus seemed almost excited about the prospect of me ripping him to shreds.

"You, my friend, are insane." I chuckled at him. I didn't think there was any way out of this and the Cullen's didn't seem to be trying to stop me either, so I might as well give it a go. No guarantees that anything was even going to happen.

"Okay, just do what you normally do and attack when ready!" Marcus smiled at me.

I looked around quickly to make sure that all of the Cullens were close enough to get to me if needed before I shut my eyes and tried to picture things that I hated.

I focused my mind on Caius' face when he had told me that I would have to "die" so that Charlie and Renee and everyone else thought I was dead and wouldn't come looking for me when I didn't call.

That moment had pissed me off so much.

I focused on that one fuzzy memory, drawing the anger that I felt and directing it towards Marcus.

I felt the familiar build up of power that I always had before I drew energy from another the only difference was that before I had to be in contact with the person. Now I was a ways away from Marcus but I knew that if I tried that I could drain every bit of his energy.

By George, I still had it.

Instead of celebrating that I could still do everything I could before, I decided to mess around with my powers for a second. You know, see if anything new had popped up.

I focused on Marcus' energy, drawing from it. I didn't take enough to leave him defenseless, but enough that I when I opened my eyes, I saw him stumble slightly from the weakness. I shot Marcus a sly smile when he met my eyes. He nodded and shot an equally wicked smile back at me when he realized that I still could do everything I used to be able to do just better.

I decided to throw them all a curve ball. I suspected that Marcus knew what was coming a second before it happened because he straightened up and placed his hands behind his head at the exact moment I let it all out, slamming every single Cullen and Marcus to the trees and walls of the Manor, trapping them there.

"I still got it!" I cheered, as I skipped around in little circles, congratulating myself.

"Yeah, Bella!" Alice yelled back at me as she tried to raise her arm to pump her fist in the air, but I still had her arms pinned down.

"Can you let us down now?" Rosalie asked slowly.

"Why?"

"I am sort of wearing a skirt and you have me about twenty feet off of the ground. It isn't a good combination." Rose explained as she looked down at her small denim mini.

"Nope." I smiled cheekily at her. "I want to see how quickly I am drained from holding you all here. Before, taking the amount of energy I did from Marcus, it wouldn't take me very long to run out of steam. Two minutes tops."

"I think it makes sense." Jasper said, agreeing with me.

We sat there for ten minutes and I didn't even begin to feel drained. This was… this was… great!

"Oh, my God!" I smiled as I skipped in another quick circle.

"What is it Bella? Are you feeling exhausted?" Edward asked from his spot on a tree.

"On the contrary." I smiled. "I feel perfectly fine. And you were there the last time that I tried to hold out for this long. You saw what happened. I passed out and almost died! But, right now, I feel perfectly fine!"

"This is great Bella, I am happy for you." Marcus voiced and everyone agreed with him.

"Now… do you think you can let us down?"

A/N: Quote Hunt is from Lady Gaga. (I do her a lot, but I like her!)

If I suggest you guys do something at some point in time, don't go all Obama on me. George Bush the thing and just do it. Thinking is for later. So, right now I am going to suggest you all doing something here. Can you handle that? All right! I suggest you guys review so that I can post that One-Shot at 2,000!

I really want to post it. ;o)

I also want you all to tell me something that you would like to see the Cullen's, Bella and Marcus doing while in Ireland. It can't be around humans because of Bella. I want to see what you guys think our favorite people should do!


	37. The Visitation

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Honestly.

A/N: I have been looking forward to introducing these two characters to you ever since Bella mentioned knowing them to Carlisle in one of my earlier chapters. ;o) I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoyed writing about them. They were, honest to God, my favorite characters in BD.

Indulge your curiosity, loves, with CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR!!

* * *

"Hey!

Have you heard of my religion?

It's called the Church of Hot Addiction."

--"Church of Hot Addiction" by Cobra Starship

Chapter Thirty-Four

* * *

BPOV

After I had safely returned everyone to the ground—much to Rosalie's relief—we sent Marcus off on a hunt so that he could replenish the strength that I had taken from him. Emmett had decided to improve my lack of newborn strength by challenging me to a wrestling match.

"Come on Bella!" Emmett called from the other side of the back yard. Even with my vampire vision it was hard to see him in the darkness at this distance.

"No Emmett. How about we take a rain check and this when it is light outside? It is too dark right now, even for a vampire." I sighed as I quickly twisted my hair up into a sloppy ponytail that probably looked like utter shit but I was past caring.

"You know the saying "it is always darkest before the dawn" right?" Emmett asked before he ran across the yard, stopping just in front of me.

"Isn't that from Batman?" I laughed a little, trying to remember if that was where I had heard it from or not.

"Probably, but that doesn't change what I am trying to say here." Emmett said seriously.

"And what would that be?" I questioned patiently. We had been going back and forth for a while now and I didn't see an end in sight.

"Well, it is really dark right now because dawn is coming in a few minutes—half and hour, tops. So, if you had listened to everything I had to say before interrupting me about your pathetic eye sight then you would have understood that I was going to wait until after daylight to challenge you!" Emmett smirked at me.

"What if I still don't want to wrestle you or whatever it is?" I challenged with a smirk of my own.

Emmett's face fell for a second before his face lit up with a wicked expression. "Why wouldn't you want to wrestle me? I can teach you how to protect yourself in a physical battle."

"I have a power, Emmett, that doesn't ever require me to fight a battle. Were you not here earlier for that?" I laughed a little, even though I knew he was right and I did need to learn how to defend myself incase of an attack.

"What if your powers fail you? It has been known to happen. The fact hat you wouldn't be able to hold your own in the fight would be your Achilles' heel. And I don't want my little sis to get hurt. I wouldn't be able to stand it. No of us would." Emmett's emotions shone through his eyes and everything he did. He may have been ripped and deadly but he was the sweetest man ever.

"Aww! I love you too, big brother!" If I were human I would have been bawling like a baby just because I love hearing sappy things like that.

Emmett opened his arms and I wasted no time throwing myself into him, giving Emmett the biggest hug I could muster.

"My arms won't fit around you. That is sort of sad." I laughed at the sheer size of Emmett. I don't think I had ever realized exactly how huge Emmett was until now.

"What can I say?" Emmett laughed at himself, the deep rumbling of his laugh shaking my entire frame.

"All right," I pulled away from his hug with a smile. "I accept your challenge. So when the sun comes up, I will see you then."

"Sounds good to me." Emmett patted me roughly on the back before walking off towards the house. I let him get about fifty feet away before I let my power loose and sent him flying into the closest tree.

"Sorry, I had to do that!" I giggled as I ran off in the other direction before I dropped him from the tree, making sure that there was a safe distance between us.

"Bella!" I heard Emmett yell as I disappeared into the trees, laughing the whole way.

I managed to make it about a quarter of a mile, still laughing at myself, when out of nowhere two arms wrapped around me, sending both me and the person tumbling to the ground.

"Gotcha." Edward whispered in my ear.

"What was that for?" I laughed as I tried to sit up but Edward kept his arms tight around me, not allowing me to move anywhere.

"Well, first of all, we can't have you running too far away from the Manor with out one of us. There are a lot of people who could be wandering around out here. Second, Alice had a vision of some people coming. She isn't sure who they are so we are all going to wait for them at the house just in case they aren't on our side." Edward let me know as he pulled me tighter against his chest.

"All right, I will keep that in mind. Now can I get up?" I asked as I squirmed around a little, hoping that would loosen his grasp enough for me to make my escape.

"Nope." Edward kissed the side of my head lightly. "Before you ask why, I will tell you. The sun is coming out in a little less than three minutes, according to Alice. And in seven minutes it will be high enough to shine through these trees here."

"Why do we want the sun shining through the trees?" I asked, a little confused.

"Just wait for it, love."

I nodded my head and leaned back into Edward's arms. I was perfectly content to lay here with Edward and wait for whatever the sun was going to bring.

Seven minutes later, just as Edward had promised, the sun had risen high enough for its first few rays to break through the trees, illuminating the little group of trees surrounding us. I didn't even really notice what was going on until Edward lifted my hand into the air, both of us sparkling brilliantly in the morning sun.

I sucked in a breath in surprise, wondering how I could have forgotten that I, too, would sparkle now. Perks of being a vampire.

"You look beautiful, love." Edward brought my sparkling hand to his mouth, planting kisses on each individual finger, pausing on my ring finger before kissing the spot where a wedding ring would sit on a woman's hand. It was a sweet gesture.

When I didn't respond to him or make any notion that I planned on responding, Edward pulled us up into a sitting position. He sat across from me, his legs crossed Indian style, mimicking my position.

"What was that for? I was comfortable." I protested with a pout on my face.

"We need to talk. I keep trying to get you to open up to me, asking you to tell me what is bothering you, but you won't tell me the whole thing. You will tell me what is bugging you at the moment, but not what is really deep down." Edward stared directly at me.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I answered honestly. I didn't think that I had been acting strange or what not, I felt fine. "Are you sure that it is me that is worrying or troubled and not you?"

"I_ am_ worried," Edward sighed. "But there is something off with you. It may not be noticeable to you or anyone else, but I know you and there is something up. When you figure it out, promise that you will let me know."

"Of course." I agreed whole-heartedly. "I wouldn't dream of going to anyone else. I want you to know that there's a lot that I don't know—there's a lot I am still learning about being a vampire, but I will always come to you for that, too."

"Thank you." Edward kissed the tip of my nose lovingly. "And I hope you know I am only saying this because I love you and I really want us to be able to move forward in our new relationship. We have so many things that we can explore and do together now that you are changed that we couldn't do when you were a human." Edward's eyes lit up at the ideas that must have been running through his head.

"And what sort of things do you propose we do?" I asked, my mind going to the gutter.

"Well, we could go on runs together. Play baseball, like last time, but instead you would be on my team." Edward winked at me, his mind obviously not going in the direction that mine had ventured towards. That was okay, though, I still liked his ideas.

"You know, Edward, we can knock one of those off the list right now." I smiled, running a hand through Edward's thick hair.

"And which one would that be, love? Keep in mind that we need to be returning to the Manor soon." Edward reminded me.

"Yeah, I know. But I was thinking that we could take a run back to the Manor together." I stood up swiftly, latching onto Edward's hands and pulling him up with me. "Let's go!"

And with that we were off, taking a lap around the house before we actually made it inside.

"Bella," Alice called from the couch in the keeping room.

"Yes ma'am." I called back, not letting go of Edward's hands as I made my way towards Alice's voice. "Did you need something?" I asked when I got to the room. All of the Cullens were hanging around waiting for our visitors.

"I assume Edward told you we have visitors?" Alice confirmed, patting the seat on the couch next to her, signaling for Edward and I to join her.

"Yeah, he said you couldn't tell who they were, right?" I smiled down at Edward's larger hand, grasping me, his thumb running in small circles over the back of it.

"Yup. They should be here in just under nine minutes." Alice nodded excitedly. "I don't think they are a threat to us at all. I just have a feeling about it. They look old. Not just in physical years but in vampire terms as well."

I paused and looked at Alice with a huge smile on my face.

"Was it two men? Alone?" I asked excitedly earning curious glances from all of the Cullens.

"Yeah…"

"From which direction?" I was almost bouncing at the point, excited at the prospect of seeing my friends.

"The North, why?" Edward answered for Alice.

I didn't bother hanging around to answer him before I leapt off of the couch, tearing my hand out of Edward's and dashing out of the Manor as fast as I could go, the Cullens trailing behind me, yelling for me to stop and explain.

Explanations could wait till later I reasoned with myself as I tore into the woods, my ears picking up on two quickly approaching vampires right in front of me.

"Vladimir! Stefan!" I yelled as I launched myself at the two older, unsuspecting men, pulling them both to me in a big hug.

"Bella!" They hugged me back tightly before releasing me, stepping back.

"You are a vamp? Finally!" Vladimir smiled at me.

"I know." Stefan agreed. "We were considering coming to break you out of that dump if they kept you human any longer. You are way too much fun to waste."

"Now, twirl child. I want to see how this new life is working out for you." Vladimir twirled his finger at me, signaling what I should do.

I let out a loud laugh before stepping back a few more steps and twirling slowly for my Romanian friends.

"Fantastic!" Stefan cheered. "You are beautiful sweetie, come give me another hug." I shook my head at their ridiculousness before embracing them both again.

"Bella," Carlisle spoke up as he stepped forwards. "Who are these people? You know them."

I nodded at Carlisle before I waved my hand at our visitors. "Carlisle, this is Vladimir and Stefan, the Romanians with a bone to pick with the Volturi." I let them shake hands, exchanging greeting before I introduced them to the rest of the Cullens.

"Guys, this is Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, Jasper, Edward and Alice." I gestured to each person as I called them out.

"Oh!" Vladimir smiled widely. "Edward… it is nice to finally meet you. I heard all about how you ripped out poor Bella's heart and wiped your ass with it."

"Vlad!" Stefan chastised with a stern expression. "That isn't any way to talk to the young man."

"And how would you suggest I talk to him, brother?" Vladimir questioned, annoyed that he had been interrupted.

"Well, I would suggest intimidation. Maybe throw a few threats and choice words out at him. I think that should do the trick. What you were doing just wasn't… forceful enough." Stefan reasoned with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Eh, it isn't worth the effort. I am sure, if he deserved it, Bella would have ripped his pretty boy face off by now." Vlad waved his papery hand in dismissal before he turned away from Stefan and addressed us.

"It is a pleasure to meet you…" He froze in mid sentence and sniffed the air. Once, twice, three times… "I smell rot, filth and self loathing."

"Volturi!" Stefan smiled before he dropped into an offensive crouch, ready to attack. The whole scene was laughable, really. I knew the Romanians were prone to overreaction but this was insane.

"Boys." Marcus greeted as he strolled out of the trees, un-cuffing his sleeves. "What brings you to Ireland? You are aware that we are quite a few miles away from Romania, fellas?"

"We know, Marcus. We were just paying our good friend Bella a visit. We stopped by your castle and threw rocks at her window but when she didn't come out, we investigated." Vlad shrugged as though it was nothing.

"How about we go inside and sit down?" Esme suggested lightly, trying to diffuse any possible confrontation.

I nodded before latching onto Vlad and Stefan's upper arms and dragging them toward the Manor before they could decide to tag team Marcus.

"This is a gorgeous place, but then again, I would expect nothing less from the infamous Carlisle Cullen. You have made quite a name for yourself in our little vampire world, boy. An animal drinker… the theory is laughable but bold at commendable at the same time." Stefan spoke as I steered them towards the front door.

"You have heard of me?" Carlisle asked incredulously.

"Please," Vlad scoffed. "If there is a vampire out there who hasn't heard of you, they are a damned hermit. Everyone has heard of you!"

Carlisle just nodded, absorbing this information as we all made our way into the Manor. When everyone was seated I leaned back into Edward, watching at the circus show unfolded before me.

Marcus glares at Vlad who glances at Stefan who then glares at Marcus.

Vlad glares at Marcus who, in turn glares at Stefan who looks curiously at us, wondering why Marcus is with us.

The show went on for five minutes before I decided to intervene and take the attention away from the growing tension between Dexy and his Midnight Runners over there.

"So…" I began, looking around to everyone. "How did you two find me here?" it was a legit question, I was curious after all.

"Oh, that is an easy one!" Stefan smiled easily. "Like we said earlier, we stood out under your window and threw little pebbles that we had picked out of those overrated cobblestone streets at your window. When you didn't answer, I climbed up to peek in while Vlad stayed on the ground. You know how much he hates those heights. Poor bitch is scared he will fall and die, no matter how impossible that task is."

"Hey! You remember that episode we had with the hiker on Everest. That was a day of firsts, my friends." Vlad shook his head and shivered, no doubt remembering it.

"Oh, God." Edward moaned quietly behind me. "That has to be the grossest thing I have ever seen."

"The perils of being in my mind, child." Vlad shrugged easily. "Shall I show you a slide show? I have seen some pretty colorful things in my lifetime that would scar your poor mind to the point of no return."

"I think I will pass, thank you." Edward gulped, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into him.

"You were saying you climbed the wall… of Volterra…" Marcus probed, a doubtful look on his face.

"I tell you, Volturi, this is a legitimate retelling." Stefan shook a papery finger at Marcus before he turned back to us. "Yes, well, I climbed the wall and found the room empty. So I figured that they had moved you to nicer quarters instead of those servant rooms they were housing you in, dear heart."

"So I went inside." Vladimir smiled at Marcus tauntingly. "And before you interrupt me, you royal pain in the ass, it was completely possible. Volterra was a mess. Aro was so busy pacing his study chanting about household cleaners and cars. He was oblivious to everything around him. I walked right in and took his laptop without his so much as batting an eyelash in my direction. He just kept pacing." I let out a loud laugh at the thought of Aro having a breakdown right now.

"That is how I found out you had left Volterra. I was going through the records of everyone who had either been let go or had left Volterra. I was surprised at two of the names on the list other than yours and the Royal Bumfuck over there." Vlad continued with a shocked expression.

"Yeah… well… that is a whole different matter." I mumbled, Marcus—ahem, excuse me, I meant Royal Bumfuck—nodded along with me.

"I will hold out for that one." Stefan nodded.

"So the Volturi's documents told you that we were in Ireland?" Jasper asked, confused. I could feel the emotions leaking out of him and spreading out across the room.

"No, Heidi and Felix told us that one when they found the two of us sitting outside of the turret room with Aro's personal laptop in front of us, laughing at the strange things he keeps record of on there. It was… a learning experience." Vlad shuddered for the second time in this conversation.

"Heidi and Felix, of course! I told them we were here that way they could run interference incase Aro or Caius decide they have a bone to pick with any of you. They may have let Demitri know, too. I know he isn't at Volterra right now, though. I think he decided to go reunite with some old friends." Marcus smiled.

"Good for him!" I smiled, proud of Demitri for branching out. I knew he always hated being cooped up in that castle. Demitri was a wilderness boy. He wanted to feel the dirt between his toes and smell the cool outdoorsy scent of the air after it rained.

"That is the end of the little story!" Stefan clapped his hands once. "Thank you for listening everyone!"

I digested the information that Volterra was in an upheaval as I listened to Stefan and Vladimir recount the odd sights they encountered while they searched Volterra unnoticed. It was great to see my friends again.

* * *

A/N: QH from Jack's Mannequin.

A reminder from a previous chapter: Chapter 23

"_Honestly," [Bella] said. "If given the choice, I would side with the Romanians. They are a pair of firecrackers! They are so much fun to be around." She smiled._

"_I have never had the pleasure of meeting them." Carlisle said…__He was intensely curious in these Romanians that Bella seemed so fond of._

MY Carlisle has never met the Romanians—until now—and since this is Fan Fiction I can do that. So don't go bitch me out about it not being correct in the world of Twilight. If you do, I will kindly direct you to this exact statement. Serves you right for NOT reading my Author's Notes. They aren't just pointless babblings; they have merit and purpose… most of the time…

This chapter marks a turning point in the story. Soon things are going to start to go crazy again for our friends. Unfortunately, our Cullens just can't catch a break can they? Oh well, more for us! And for all those people wondering, this story doesn't have a whole lot left in it. Ten chapters at most.

Last thing on this long note: If you noticed, I reached 2,000 reviews. Yay. And the **ONE-SHOT IS POSTED!!!** Go read and review please!!!


	38. With You

Disclaimer: I don't own it. My apologies.

A/N: The fact behind the matter is that I love each and every one of my readers and reviewers. Mwah. You all rock. Seriously.

This chapter is a little slow but I promise that it will be the last like that! Bella and Edward have to jump one more hurtle before they can progress in their relationship like we all want them to! Next chapter… things heat up again!

Bella's POV was a little bitch to write—I almost did the whole thing EPOV but we would have missed a lot—so don't be pissed about Bella's part if it is sub-par!

Indulge your curiosity, Loves, with CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE!!

* * *

"I'm into you.  
And girl, no one else would do.  
Cause with every kiss and every hug,  
You make me fall in love.  
And now I know I can't be the only one.  
I bet there heart's all over the world tonight,  
With the love of their life who feels,  
What I feel when I'm with you."

--"With You" by Chris Brown

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Five

EPOV

**Time of Year? End of January—Two Months Later: **

It had been about two months since the impromptu visit from Bella's Romanian friends. The pair of them was absolutely insane when they were together. I guess centuries upon centuries of being with each other constantly caused them to either not care about what other people were doing or they were just reckless.

They hadn't stayed too long after showing up, claiming that they never really enjoyed staying in one place for too terribly long. Not to mention Carlisle trying to persuade them to try our diet.

The Romanians blatantly refused.

They told Carlisle that while they commended him for his choices and ambition in his existence, they would appreciate if he didn't force his beliefs upon them. I believed they compared him to those door to door Mormons who tried to convert everyone to their beliefs and sell their books.

When they had said that, Carlisle banned them from hunting humans in the town of Adare using his typical "we don't want to risk exposure" excuse. But we all knew he was just worked up about their lack of morals and care for a human life.

Two days later they walked up to Bella, kissed her on the cheek, thanked Esme for her hospitality and left with empty promises of coming back for a visit again.

They fully intended on calling Bella though.

And that one name—the thing that was the driving force behind everything I did—brought my mind away from the rambunctious Romanians and back to a place where I needed to concentrate on.

Bella may not have realized it before but she was slipping. There were so many things being thrust onto her plate at once that she couldn't comprehend what needed to be done and how to handle it. If she had carried on for much longer she would have collapsed under the weight of the problems she hadn't even realized were plaguing her.

Something needed to be done before she crumbled.

That meant that she was going to have to put the brakes on her activities and excitement for a short span of time. She was always on the move, doing something productive. Whether it was reading a book or outside wrestling with Emmett and Jasper, she didn't stop. There was no red light on her life.

She had been avoiding, for the past two months since our conversation, sitting down for a few hours and thinking over what could be troubling her. I wasn't sure why she skirted around the topic—she had seemed genuinely surprised when I had broached the topic at first—but who was I, the guy who couldn't, for the life of me, read her mind, to try to figure out the enigma that was Bella Swan?

It was damn near impossible, really.

I had even went to Jasper a few weeks ago, asking him if he could tell me what was wrong with her since she obviously wasn't going to stop and contemplate it anytime soon.

Jasper was unhelpful to say the least.

He had asked me to give me a few days so that he could see if he felt any strange emotions from her. I easily agreed, hoping fruitlessly that he would turn over something of interest in his emotional diggings, but, in the end, he came back empty handed.

"Listen," He had sat me down and suggested right after he broke the bad news that he hadn't been able to tell that Bella was feeling anything out of the ordinary. "I think you really need to just talk to her. The excitement of the Romanians arriving and then with Esme's big Christmas plans onto of that, everything has consumed her thoughts for the past few weeks. But now that Christmas and New Year's are over, you really should sit down with her and remind Bella of your conversation."

His words had made perfect sense.

I smiled to myself as I remembered the cause for the distractions. It seemed as though Esme had wanted our family to have a big Christmas celebration because it was Bella and Marcus' first Holiday with us. It had been an enjoyable experience to say the least. However, Bella hadn't been able to spend much time with me as a result. She had been swamped almost every minute. Of course we would still manage to steal a few kisses and exchange a few words here and there, but it was mostly done in passing.

"One more thing," Jasper had stopped me before I could leave. "I am feeling that you are worried for some reason. Is it simply that you are worried about Bella or is it more?"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "I am worried that she is ignoring what I had told her. Purposely forgetting about it so that she doesn't have to think about what could be troubling her." I confessed, wondering if that was absurd as it sounded to me.

"No, I think she really did just forget." Jasper had smiled at me, dousing the flame of my fears easily with his cool demeanor, patting my back once before exiting the room and leaving me to think of the best way possible to broach the topic with Bella again.

It took me a few weeks to decide, but in the end, I decided that being blunt was the way to go.

One of the main things Bella had called me out on from the get-go was my tendency to candy-coat issues to make them seem less severe. She hadn't liked it then and I doubt that she would like it now.

Therefore, candy-coating was out.

That really only left me with bluntness. It, admittedly, wasn't a bad idea, really. It saved me the trouble of having to creatively craft my words to pad the harsh news. Plus Bella would be happy to just have me tell it to her straight. Perhaps that would warm her up for what I would say.

With my decision fresh in mind, I made my way downstairs and outside into the brisk January night, knowing exactly where I would be able to find Bella at this time. She had developed somewhat of a ritual.

At night she would spend an hour sitting on one of the benches in the garden looking at the flowers that were still alive in the frigid Irish winter. She claimed that the moon light made everything more beautiful

"You were right." I stated as I strolled up to the stone bench that Bella was perched on, her long, dainty fingers stroking the petals of some unidentifiable type of buttercup yellow perennials.

Her head shot up, smiling brightly upon seeing me. She patted the spot next to her on the bench. I smiled back at her as I sat down, her hand and mine automatically finding each other and intertwining.

"What was I right about? I thought you were usually right." She teased me, her beautiful voice coming out quietly, a musical quality looping and twining with her speech.

"Not about this." I leaned in and brushed a soft kiss on her cheek. "You were right about the garden being more beautiful at night. The moonlight really changes what one sees." I looked around, paying close attention to how the shadows glanced off of the velvet soft petals and the moonlight illuminated the tips of the leaves and petals in an almost picturesque quality. With the manor in the background it was an ideal Thomas Kinkade painting.

"The way the moon interacts with the flowers is eerie. It gives the garden a secretive, mystic quality, I guess. It makes it more intriguing." Bella confided in me, a soft smile gracing her full lips. "It is such a contrast from the daylight. The sun shows everything—exposes their carefully hidden secrets to everyone while the moon conceals them from the prying eyes."

I couldn't help but notice the parallels that Bella was drawing here. We had left flowers far behind and now we had veiled metaphors for ourselves, as vampires, floating around.

"We are creatures of the night for a reason." I squeezed Bella's hand lightly. "The moon is our safe-haven from those who would persecute us for what we are. It allows us to tread without fear of exposure. The sun, as you said, reveals it all. It strips us down to the very essence of our beings."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, each of us lost in our own thoughts as I looked around the garden. Most of the plants were dormant for the winter but there were a few that were still thriving despite the cool climate.

"Bella," I began, breaking the silence that had settled around us. I stood up and crouched in front of Bella, trying to stay at eye-level with her. "I need to ask you something."

Something flashed across Bella's eyes before she quickly looked around in panic. I had no idea what she was doing until I realized that she had misinterpreted my words and actions.

"No, no! I am not proposing, love." I chuckled as her posture relaxed inestimably. I was a little hurt by her reaction to the idea of marriage, but I couldn't think of that right now. I was on a mission.

Bella nodded, relieved, with a smile on her face.

"Anyways, do you remember that conversation we had right before the Romanians arrived a few months ago?" I asked, hoping that she did remember. That would save me time.

Bella sat there, lost in thought for a few moments as she played absentmindedly with the silver bracelet I had given her for Christmas. It was a bauble of my mom's from my human life. It had a large diamond heart hanging off of the thick chain. I had, however, added a small silver bat charm as a joke. It had her name on one wing and mine on the other. I internally laughed at the memory of her face when I had given it to her before I looked up, dragging myself back to the present. Her expression had lost its confusion and instantly brightened as she recalled the conversation to which I was referring to.

"I remember it." Bella leaned forwards, towards where I was still kneeling at in front of her. Her hands reached out towards my face, one cupping my chin while the other ran through my hair. "I am sorry that I haven't thought about what could be bothering me. I guess it slipped my mind."

"That is perfectly fine, love. We have the week ahead of us completely free. Esme is just going to be touching up the paint while Emmett, Rose and Alice help out Marcus with a few things he wanted to do." I smiled up at her, her ruby eyes retaining a ring of light gold around the edges.

The moon was high in the sky, the world around us bathed in its soft glow. The silence of the night echoed off of the trees, calming the night with its presence. An owl hooted off in the distance, calling out for an answer it wouldn't receive, breaking the calm that had settled.

It remained perfect.

I stood up slowly, lightly grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her up with me. She shot me a look of confusion as I pulled her away from the bench and toward the middle of the garden.

"Dance with me, Isabella." I whispered, not wanting to ruin what we had going here. The moment was too perfect to resist. And so was she.

The grey-blue light illuminated the soft plains of her face, her eyes glittering with excitement as she nodded her head once, allowing me to pull her to me, lifting up her body so that her tiny feet rested onto of mine just like they had years ago in the stuffy Forks High Gymnasium.

With only the music of the night to guide us, we swayed gracefully to the silence, reveling in the peace of it all. It was splendid and extraordinary. It was everything I had dreamed of for years and more. The completion I felt filled me to the brim, overflowing around the edges as I hugged my Reason to me, letting the scent that was uniquely her wash over me.

"I love you." I whispered, pulling back slightly so that I could pick up her wrist, kissing the diamond heart that weighed down on the chain.

"And I love you, too. Forever." She said simply as if that was the only thing she knew to be truth.

"Forever," I agreed, knowing that I was never going to take a minute—a second—of that forever for granted.

BPOV

When Edward left me that night, going to visit with Esme for a little while since he hadn't really talked to her in a few days, I took the opportunity that the solidity presented me with to go and think things over like Edward had suggested.

I ran out towards the edges of the property where I knew that there weren't as many trees, densely packed into the forest. When the trees started thinning I veered north, away from any villages or towns that might happen upon me.

In front of me, the hills rose up out of the land. They were the bright colors of green that I had become shockingly used to; the tips of the grass' blades were heavily bent toward the hard earth, weighed down by the morning dew turned ice.

I slowed down as I reached the base of the biggest hill, my heavy hiking boots crunching against the crisp ice as I walked at a normal pace up the steep hill. I managed to make it to the top after slipping once, landing on my ass and sliding down a few feet before I got my wits about me and stood back up. The butt of my jeans was sufficiently soaked.

I stood on top of the hill, taking a deep breath, inhaling the cool scent of the night air letting it clear my head and focus my sense on the task at hand.

I slowly sat down, not caring that the seat of my pants looked like I had peed myself from the wetness of the ground below me. The temperature of the weather around me had no effect on my granite skin. The weather and I simply were there—coexisting in a commutative relationship in which neither of were harmed nor did we benefit. We were simply tolerated by the other.

I sat there for what must have been six or seven hours, stoic and unmoving as my mind processed anything and everything I could possibly be plagued by. My searched resulted in nothing.

I promised myself, however, that I would not give up on this that easily. Edward obviously was worried about my well-being and it would be rude to completely brush him off when I had already promised give the matter some thought.

With that in mind, I returned to the little hill every day for three days as I pondered the plausible causes of depression or anything that may just bother me in the slightest.

On the fourth day when I arrived at the hill, I had a good feeling. Today was going to be a good day I hoped, praying that my thoughts were not in vain.

Right then the wind swirled around me, picking up a fallen leaf in its streamlined current. I watched as the little leaf, crumpled and brown, wafted through the thick air of the pre-dawn night.

I envied that leaf in that moment.

It floated through the air carelessly. It was free to explore the world as it wished as long as the wind would support it. The leaf knew no boundaries. There was no reason why it couldn't wander off, past the edge of the Cullen's property. It didn't have worry about possibly killing any innocent passerby. It was a leaf. Its only enemy was time and wears and tears that eventually come with the decay of time—things that I didn't have to worry about.

The leaf continued its frail journey, riding the consistent wind down the hill before it snagged on a low branch of a pine tree on the edge of the wooded area.

And just like that, it was over.

I sighed softly as I leaned back on my elbows, my legs spread out in front of me. Maybe I was more like the leaf than I thought. Even though I wasn't frail in the physical sense, like the leaf, I was in the emotional sense.

I was a confused bundle of nerves and excitement. I wanted to explore but I was always hesitant about going too far in fear that I would stumble across things that would provoke my instinct and cause me to lose control; resulting in circumstances I shuddered to think of, let alone consider.

I was similar to the leaf in more ways than that though. There was, above all, the reliance I had on the Cullens. I leaned on them for support, expecting them to have all of the answers to get me through the first year or so of my change. I relied on them to guide me and take me to where I should be at just like the leaf relied on the wind to take it places. It was not under its own jurisdiction.

Maybe I didn't envy the leaf as much as I originally thought.

I pitied it.

While it relied on the wind to take it places, the wind wasn't always gusting though the country side. And when it was elsewhere, the leaf was left to its own lowly devices. I, however, had constants in my life. The Cullens would always be there, encouraging me to lean on them. They wouldn't disappear on me, leaving me caught in the brambles, only to return days later and forcefully rip me out of the thickets that surrounded the leaf. No, the Cullens wouldn't do that to me.

The early rays of the morning sun rose up over the horizon of the distant hills, falling on the earth around me. When the rays fell on my body, illuminating my diamond hard skin, casting small rainbows across the slopes of the surrounding hills and wooded areas, understanding dawned upon me, clear as the light of day I was seeing now.

I rolled up my pants, cuffing them around my knees as I stared at my legs in wonder, doing the same with the sleeves of my shirt, too.

I was different in every way.

And therein laid the source of my problems; the little things Edward had been picking up on from me for the past few months.

My insecurities had been a part of me for so long that they had carried over from my human life into my vampire one. I knew that they were unfounded, these feelings of worry, but even if I had no basis for them, my fear always ran rampant.

I was afraid that Edward would not want me anymore simply because I was no longer me in the technical sense of things. I didn't have any of the human qualities which he enjoyed so much anymore. I was as hard and cold as he.

It was stupid, I knew that, but it was still very much a part of my reality.

With a deep sigh I admitted the tough truth to myself out loud, knowing that I needed to confront it head on. Like they say to do with bulls.

"Insecure," I breathed dubiously. "I am insecure."

"Insecure about what?" Emmett asked, appearing behind me. Startled, I let out a little squeak as I whipped my head around to look at him, my eyes zoning in on a small spot of blood dotting the collar of his shirt.

"You get a little messy with dinner, Em?" I asked, avoiding the question. I had promised Edward that he would be the one I would go to if I figured out what was bothering me. I planned on keeping that promise… well, maybe not…

"Yeah, it happens when the stupid thing won't stop thrashing around even after it is obvious I won." Emmett shrugged casually as he sat down beside me, sparkling in the sun right along side of me.

I nodded my head in understanding, still watching my legs glitter in the sun.

"What was that insecure pep talk about earlier?" Emmett asked again as he shrugged off his jacket, laying it out behind himself so that he could lie back without getting soaked by the soppy ground.

"Any chance you will drop it?" I grimaced down at his concerned face. He was such a sweet boy. I was touched by his concern. It was misplaced, but the sentiment was still there.

"Nope. I want to know what is bothering you and I won't stop until I find out." Emmett grinned mischievously at me.

"Ugh, fine!" I groaned out, dropping down onto my back beside him. "It is sort of between Edward and I so don't let him know that I told you before I told him. All right, Emmett?"

He nodded his head in understanding; making a motion to show that his lips were locked. "I am all ears, Bella."

I sighed before I rolled up on my side, propping myself up on my elbow so that I could look down at him. "I know my fears are irrational but I can't help but feel that there is some truth to them. Edward always used to say how he loved my blush, the way I ate, watching me sleep, the scent of my shampoo… the human things I did! And now I am not so human anymore, am I?"

"No, you aren't human, but those are the stupidest reasons for being insecure I have ever heard. And I have heard a lot, Bella." Emmett sat up quickly, facing me fully.

"I know, I just can't shake it." I confessed, shaking my head in disdain for myself.

"We can let go of those feelings easily." Emmett said confidently. "Don't hold on to all of life's hardest parts. You need to just talk this out with Edward, I am sure he will understand and help you get over this. I think it is something that you two can easily overcome with a little help from each other."

"I feel stupid for even feeling like this in the first place." I scrubbed a hand over my face in frustration at myself.

"Go, talk to him." Emmett stood up, folding his jacket over his arm before he started walking down the hill at human speed.

"All right, I will do that now." I sighed as I followed him, both of us walking casually back to the house talking about everything we had been up to for the past few days. Emmett commented on our need to have another fighting lesson. I laughed and agreed with him as we came into sight of the Manor.

"Talk to him." Emmett repeated his words from earlier as he pulled me into a hug, giving me a big, wet kiss on the cheek, noisily smacking his lips against my skin before he turned and disappeared into the garage.

"Edward," I called when I walked into the front door. I hoped he had heard me. I didn't feel much like searching for him right now.

"Yes, love." Edward answered as he came down the stairs gracefully, his long, lean legs covering the distance between us easily.

"I was thinking, like you asked me to…" I trailed off, taking a greedy, unneeded gulp of air before continuing. "I figured it out, I guess. It is really stupid and you will probably laugh at me for even remotely feeling this, but I need to tell you anyways."

Edward's lips twitched up into a smile but he instantly tried to hide it.

"I saw that, Cullen! This isn't a laughing matter." I huffed annoyed that he was going to laugh at me when this was his idea all along.

"I am sorry; it is just that you spewed those words out so fast that I had to listen to catch every word." He laughed openly now at my rushed sentences. "That is saying something since I am practiced in the art of understanding loony talk. You have to be fluent to know Alice."

"For that I am not telling you." I frowned at him as I tried to resist the urge to stick my tongue out at him in a purely immature moment. That would probably cause him to laugh harder so I didn't even bother.

"I apologize, Bella." Edward said seriously after he had contained the last of his little chuckles. "It was just too cute to see you talk like that. The last time you did that you were-"

I cut him off quickly, seeing my opening into the topic I needed to broach. "I was what? A human?" I shrugged. "That is the problem…" I trailed off as I waited for Edward to realize what I was saying. However, understanding never dawned on his features.

"I am lost." Edward confessed after a moment of consideration on his part as he processed my words.

I scrunched my face up in concentration before I answered him, a little hesitant as to how he would take the whole thing. "I can't help but think that maybe you only really liked me for the human things I did. And now that I am no longer human, will you still have the same draw to me? The same attraction that you felt before?" I ran a hand roughly through my hair, sighing loudly. "I know it is stupid, but you asked me to figure out what was bothering me. Well, there you go."

"Bella, Bella, Bella," Edward whispered as he reached out, pulling me into a hug. "If anything, my love for you has only grown since you were changed."

"You mean it?" I squeaked out.

"Yes I do." Edward smiled, placing a chaste kiss on my lips. "I no longer have to control my strength or thirst around you. I am free to just be… well, me."

I smiled hugely up at Edward. "I told you it was a stupid fear."

"And you were right." Edward chuckled down at me before kissing any and all of my fears away, easily. "I love you."

"I love you, too." I smiled into his shoulder as I hugged him back, hard. I was extremely glad to have had Edward with me. Any other guy probably would have laughed in my face and told me I was an insecure, clingy little girl. But he would never do that.

We were still standing in the foyer when Esme walked in with Marcus in tow, a resigned expression on her face, an even more solemn one on Marcus' as he stared at the floor, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"What happened?" I asked as I quickly released Edward, walking quickly over to meet the two. Their expression had me fretting that someone was seriously injured.

"Marcus is leaving us." Esme admitted solemnly, Carlisle appeared behind her, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Marcus," I looked to him questioningly. "Why? Why so soon? I figured you would at least hang around for a year or two."

"I was planning on it Bella," Marcus replied, his eyes still fixed on the marble of the flooring. It was pissing me off that he wasn't looking up and it scared me too. What was he hiding from me? "I really was. But, fate had other plans for me."

Marcus looked up right then, his ruby eyes meeting mine, pleading with me to understand.

Ruby.

I had become accustomed to Marcus' golden honey eyes that he had acquired since he had started dieting the way the Cullens did. But ruby—ruby meant he had slipped.

"Marcus," I groaned walking quickly over to him. "Just because you slipped up doesn't mean you have to leave. Everyone makes mistakes. It is perfectly normal!"

"No, Bella. I have to leave. As much as I love spending time with you and your new family, I don't belong here. This," he motioned towards his eyes, "just reinforces that truth. So, yes, I need to go. I want to explore the places that I haven't been in years. I want to visit my home town… I just need to get out."

"All of this because you accidentally slipped?" I asked accusingly, not believing that his mistake was the sole factor behind his leaving us.

"It has been coming, I have known since I agreed to tag along with you guys to the Manor, here. The fact that I killed a person again was just the catalyst." Marcus pulled me into a hug. "I have been cooped up in Volterra for too long. Now that I have my freedom, I need to explore."

I hugged him back as nodded into his chest. "Have fun." I told him, knowing that I couldn't do anything to stop him from leaving if he wanted to.

"I promise to come back and visit. And I will always keep in touch." Marcus pulled away, pulling a new cell phone out of his pocket. It was an exact replica of the one I had with the Volturi, just less scratched up.

"I have programmed my cell number in here so that you can always call me to check in and let me know where you are or where I am." He smiled as he placed the phone in my hand, curling my fingers around it.

"Thank you." I smiled, glad that he was at least planning on staying in touch with us. I would have felt terrible if he had left and not looked back.

"No problem, kid. Just remember to call. I don't want you to forget me." Marcus instructed me jokingly.

We all stood around, discussing what Marcus was planning on doing when he left here, but we couldn't seem to create any definite plans. Marcus finally just said that he was taking a small suitcase with the necessities, the Blastolene, and he was just going to drive until he felt like stopping.

A day later, Marcus was bidding us good-bye with the promise of visiting at least every five years. If not, I had permission to hunt him down and demand a visit. I liked that agreement very much.

Edward and I stood, hand in hand, and watched as the dust kicked up behind the tires of Marcus' car as it sped down the drive and out of sight.

"Now what?" I asked, turning towards Edward.

"We will figure out something to do, I am sure." Edward assured me as we returned into the house, settling in for another night of reading and enjoying each other's company.

* * *

A/N: Quote Hunt! Hannah Montana. Shut up. Haha.

We will probably see Marcus again. Soon. So all you Marcus lovers (like me) don't fret, I hope to work him into a future chapter!

Annndddddd…. How did you like the chapter? I was a little iffy so let me know I did good!


	39. Challengers

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Boo.

A/N: A lot of people want Bella and Edward to have sex. My response to that: Okay. This story is it "T" but I can always do a separate story that is just a bunch of GIA scenes that aren't "T" rated.

I will let you all know when I post the first one. Or… you can just put me on Author Alert so you get an alert when I post it.

Last chapter's QH was from "Good and Broken." A lot of you asked so I am putting it here. ;o)

Now indulge your curiosity, loves, with CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX!!!

* * *

"On the walls of the day, in the shade of the sun  
We wrote down another vision of us  
We were the challengers of the unknown  
"Be safe" you say."

--"Challengers" by The New Pornographers

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Six

BPOV

The remainder of the winter sped by, filled with moments of fun, sweetness, and shock. The winter faded to spring before it melted into summer, the temperatures in green Ireland sky-rocketed along with the level of my anticipation.

I knew what the summer meant for me.

It was time to test my bloodlust in a public setting around people: real, live people.

I was fucking terrified.

We had a mere four hours until we were leaving for one of the nearby cities. Everyone was going just in case I lost my head. It was comforting… but, the more I thought about it, the less comforted I was by the whole purpose of everyone tagging along. It made me nervous that I would end up slipping up and make a fool of myself.

Alice and Rosalie had camped out on the computer for the past few days, bidding their time by looking up various businesses on the outskirts of the nearby cities that would be easily accessible and even easier to escape if the situation required it.

They had finally been able to locate an average sized programming business that was only about a thirty minute drive from the Manor—even closer when the Cullen's driving was taken into account.

It had an open parking deck directly below it that would provide us with shelter from the fiery devil in the sky if it, in fact, decided to rear its hot head.

Over the course of the past few months, Carlisle had been using his highly acclaimed "ex-doctor" status to score us excess bags of blood from the hospitals in the vicinity. He had then proceeded to place me in situations where I was unexpectedly submersed in the potent scent of my downfall.

I miserably failed just about every single time that they even left a few measly drops on the damnable floor.

I am embarrassed to admit that they very first time Carlisle smuggled the vile crimson liquid into the Manor, he had strategically placed one single drop outside of the library while I was inside, and I had lost my head. My sensitive nose had caught onto the scent the moment Carlisle had squirted it out of the syringe.

I had been out of that door in a second, thrusting him out of my way before I crashed to my knees, licking the floor like a greedy dog who had stumbled across some bacon grease dipped across the kitchen floor.

It took me a grand-spankin' total of fifteen minutes with Jasper calming me and everyone whispering soothing words to me before I came back to my senses and detached my tongue from the now shiny floor.

I had made a half-assed joke about that being an easy way for Esme to get her floors buffed and sparkly clean, but it had deadpanned.

Test One: Fail.

However, this particular form of torture didn't stop there. For the next few months, various situations presented themselves in which I was—unbeknownst to me—forced to stumble upon blood splatter. All results were bearing a common theme: failure.

Tests Two – Twelve: Fail, Fail, Fail.

It was painfully redundant. To my utmost surprise, however, on Test number Thirteen, I got it. Lucky number thirteen.

It was a sunny Tuesday in May and Edward had decided to go on a walk with me. We were discussing things like the Clive Cussler book we had both just read, the After Midnight Project's new album and the fact that Apocalyptica was hell bent on playing Metallica and other rock songs with the odd accompaniment of four cellos. We had made it to the open pasture on the east side of the property when the scent hit me.

Just as it had every time before, my had body reacted accordingly, a feral snarl slipping through my clenched lips. I had just dropped into an aggressively offensive position, ready to attack when Edward moved. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the slight movement as he took a step back as if he was afraid or just giving me space. That action alone jerked me out of my bloodlust induced haze.

What the fuck was I doing?

I had immediately stopped breathing, shutting down any and all senses that might tempt me to return to my vicious stalking of the source of the heady scent. I'd clenched my hands into tight fists, slamming my reluctant eyelids shut as I pressed my fists to the sockets, preventing myself from even peeking.

In my head I had chanted the mantra of the Little Engine That Could. "_I think I can, I think I can…I _know _I can." _I'd remedied the little blue train's catch line to fit my current situation. It wasn't exactly a helpful or proactive activity in my attempt to forego my fiery need but it gave me a certain peace of mind.

I ended up chancing a shallow breath, testing the air around me for traces of the blood. The intense smell had crashed down on me, tempting me with its forbidden promise. It was purgatory; caught in between the heaven I would feel if I gave into my selfish wants and the hell I would feel once the heinous act was committed.

"No," I had stated simply, taking one deep, painful breath, reveling in the burn. But I stayed strong. I had sucked in shallow breaths, repeatedly, attempting to desensitize myself to the scent by slowly taming my olfactory senses, getting the use to the surrounding scent.

It was an incredibly hard feat, but I had somehow managed to turn my body in the opposite direction on the scent and quickly paced away from my temptation. I sensed Edward following me, but at a safe distance, not disrupting this miraculous progress that I had made.

"No, no, no, no," I had continued chanting until I was safely back in the Manor, a thick oak door sealing me inside the edifice.

"Good job, love." Edward had cooed, pulling me into his arms. "I am proud of you."

After that day, the trials and tests became more intense and more frequent until I was at the point where when I would catch even the slightest whiff of blood, I wasn't tempted to seek it out. I could easily turn a blind eye and continue on with what I had been doing before.

Now it was time to pull out the big guns; the heavy artillery.

"You ready?" Emmett asked as he came bumbling down the stairs, Rose following right behind him. She shot me a casual smile and continued outside while Emmett stopped and faced me.

"As I'll ever be." I shrugged feigning nonchalance even though on the inside I was a torrid mess of emotions that spiraled through my venom filled veins and left me in a nearly certifiable state.

"It won't be that bad." He promised me. "I will be there to wrestle you out of that building if needed, but I think you will do just fine."

"Thanks." I shot him a smile as I bent over and laced up my shoes. "Emmett, how was your first experience with humans after becoming a vampire?" I hesitantly asked, a little part of me hoping that he would tell me that it was a piece of cake.

"Honestly, squirt?" Emmett looked a little uneasy at the question but I knew that he would tell me. No matter what.

"Of course," I smirked straightening up. "Why would I ask you about something if I just wanted you to lie to me? What would I gain from that?" I laughed at his ridiculousness.

"True, very true." Emmett laughed a long with me, but instantly sobered. "Honestly, it didn't go well. The first time I went out into even a marginally populated area I massacred the unsuspecting townsfolk."

I ran a hand through my hair as I processed the new information. It was unsurprising, to be completely honest, but still a little rattling.

Before I could open my mouth to say anything, Emmett continued talking, apparently not having finished before.

"They weren't able to restrain me. Hell, a nation army couldn't hold me back. That was the only reason anyone died. I was too big and too strong. Plus Alice and Jasper weren't with us yet. If Jasper had been present at that time, I would have been flat on my ass in a millisecond." Emmett patted me on top of my head. "So don't sweat it. You have Jasper _and _me to hold you back. Let's face it, you are no match for the seven of us, newborn or not. Nothing will happen, I promise you that."

"Thank you." I smiled, pushing his hand off of my head as Alice came skipping down the stairs.

"Bella!" She smiled up at me. "I haven't seen what is going to happen today, but I have a good feeling about it."

"I am going to hold my breath and wait for a vision. They are marginally more concrete than your gut feelings." I reached out and picked a tiny piece of lint off of her shoulder.

"Well, no matter what happens today, I want you to know that I won't think any less of you. Annnndddd…" She drew out her word as if she was winding up to pitch. "I was thinking that once we had ascertained that you were a-okay around those darn mortals maybe we could go to the beach."

"I would have figured that you would drag me to the mall." I joked liking the idea of a day at the beach even if the sun wouldn't be shining.

"Shopping isn't everything." Alice chastised. "While it is enjoyable, it isn't the only thing on my mind as some might believe. I enjoy a good game of baseball, I enjoy driving fast cars and I actually like to associate with people outside of the mall setting!"

A wave of calm settled into the room, relaxing a taunt Alice.

"Sorry, I tend to get worked up about that sort of thing." Alice apologized as Jasper rubbed her neck soothingly.

"No, no, it was my bad. Just forget I said that." A smile broke across my features as Edward emerged from the direction of the kitchen, a sexy little smirk played across his lips.

"Everyone ready to leave?" He addressed everyone but his eyes were only on me, silently asking if I was prepared. I nodded in response, assuring him of my well being. With my confirmation, he ushered us out of the door and towards Esme's golden Enclave.

Edward and I curled up in the back corner of the Enclave, snuggled against each other comfortably. I was really enjoying the close contact that Edward and I had shared since my change. While we hadn't passed first base—regrettably—I was content with where we were in our relationship.

All right, that is bull shit and even my subconscious knew it.

I wanted a physical relationship with Edward. What was the hold back? I wasn't fragile, I can't bleed, and I really couldn't get pregnant, so what was the problem here?

I spent the few minutes in the car ride contemplating that question. The only conclusive answer that I had come to was that Edward wanted to make our first time—both of our first time—to be a pleasant, memorable experience and not just some random Screw-Out-of-the-Blue episode.

I could work with that, I guess. It just meant that I would have to try harder to break him. Not a problem. I could—

"Here!" Esme announced from the front seat, twisting her head to lock eyes with me. Her golden orbs conveyed the pride of a mother wanting her child to succeed.

The nerves and tension in the air was palpable. Everyone slowly filed out, preparing ourselves for the "what if's" that could come of this situation. Rose came up to me and cupped a hand under my chin. I thought she was going to say something comforting but instead she forcefully tipped my head up and pushed my eyelids wide so that she could slide in colored contacts.

"I forgot about my eyes." I admitted as Rose tipped my head to the other side and inserted the other lens into my eye.

"I figured that you would." Rose smirked at me before she patted my cheek twice, releasing my head from her grip.

"Thanks," I mumbled before I took a deep breath for the first time since exiting the car. I could smell faint traces of the humans who had passed through here before, but it wasn't anything potent enough to flip my shit over. The warm air from the outside and a steady breeze helped to dilute anything even remotely tempting.

But the same was not to be said for the inside of the building. There was no breeze in there. The moment we stepped into the elevator, my throat was burning. It wasn't as bad as it had been on a few occasions but it was still enough to make me uncomfortable.

I decided to try my technique of taking small, shallow breaths so that I could get used to the various scents in small increments, but I much have sounded like I was hyperventilating to everyone else.

"It's okay, don't panic. They open again." Emmett joked, motioning to the elevator doors. I couldn't even laugh. I just sent him a panicked look and grasped onto Edward's arm, clinging for dear life.

"Shhh, it will be okay, Bella." Edward whispered into my ear, rubbing soothing circles into my back with his free hand and arm.

"I am going to kill someone." I cried, Miss Negativity rearing her pessimistic head.

"I won't let you do that." Edward promised. "None of us will."

Everyone nodded in agreement but the gesture was cut short when the bell dinged at us, signaling our arrival to the main floor. Alice had purposely told us to go to the main floor because only a few people were going to be there and they weren't likely to pay us any heed.

The doors seemed to take forever to open, bidding their sweet time as the lethargically slid open to reveal a cubicle covered office space which was mostly empty sue to the lunch hour.

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until Carlisle leaned down and looked me directly in the eyes and spoke. "Bella, you have to breath or else this entire thing will be pointless."

I nodded my understanding by still I did not take a breath.

A large palm whacked me in the back, knocking the air out of me in one fell swoop. I gasped, attempting to catch my breath so that I could chew out Jasper for his idiotic behavior when I realized my mistake.

I had taken a breath.

The force of the scents around me crashed down immediately, causing venom to freely flow from my mouth at an alarming rate. To anyone passing by I may have looked like I was drooping and, in a sense, I was.

I tried to focus my brain enough to remind myself to swallow before someone fell under the impression that I was rabid. I barely succeeded in trumping the blazing fire that was consuming my throat.

I let out a little whimper as my keen ears picked up on a faint heartbeat coming from a cubicle less than a hundred paces away from me. The moment I realized its presence, all of my senses honed in on this one fragile being, unknowingly making the man my next target.

My mind was conjuring up all sorts of plans and different ways that I could try to get to the man but even in my craze I knew that I would get no where with my family so close by.

The savage part of my instinctual mind argued to just go for it, and go for it I did. I sent my body hurdling towards Esme, my mind not even registering who it was and what I was doing until seven pairs of hands were on me, dragging me still writing body quickly towards an adjoining hallway to our right before any of the employees saw us and called the police.

"Bella," Carlisle released my arm, only to have Alice latch onto the same arm, taking his place. I was still emitting small feral snarls that a human wouldn't be able to hear unless they were a foot away, but, nevertheless, I couldn't stop.

"You need to control yourself. Remember who you are." Carlisle spoke in a hushed whisper to me in order to evade detection. "You do not want to kill, Bella. Resist the urge, resist the call."

"I-I-I can't." I stuttered out in between blazing gasps and longing whimpers.

"You can." Edward told me forcefully, his grip around my waist tightening.

"Take a deep breath, Bella. Do it!" Jasper commanded. "You will only be able to overcome this is you face it head on. You can't skirt around the problem for the rest of your existence!"

I closed my eyes from the sheer agony of the situation but I managed to find some semblance of my inner peace and restore it to its rightful place. I quitted the snarls and whimpers, silencing them for once. I relaxed my body, escaping the jarring motions of my joints as the tried futilely to claim an unattainable target.

"Deep breaths," Jasper was chanting in my ear, his voice being the only tool he used to sooth me. "Over come this hurtle."

I acquiesced and let out a shaky breath, drawing a deep one in right after. It burned the whole way down to my lungs and back out again.

I repeated the action finding the scents more and more bearable with each unnecessary pass through my stone lungs.

"I got it." I breathed, relieved that I finally had a grasp on the situation.

"You sure?" Carlisle checked for peace of mind.

"She does." Alice answered for me as she slowly relinquished her hold on me, everyone following suit, one at a time, giving me back the freedom of my movement.

When everyone's hands were off of my body, I took another deep breath, reveling in the way it ghosted down my throat in an oddly reassuring way.

"Let's go." Jasper smiled down at me, reaching his hand out for a silent high-five. I slapped his upturned palm with pride knowing that I had managed to overcome this hurdle.

We quickly slipped into the stairwell across from us and headed back down to the bottom parking level instead of stepping back in the achingly slow elevator we were trapped in before.

"I did it!" I cheered as I pushed open the fire doors, skipping out into the cool, dark parking garage.

"Yes you did, love. I am so proud of you." Edward beamed at me, rushing over to scoop me up into his arms, planting a huge kiss on my lips.

Everyone congratulated me in turn, telling me how impressed they were with me, or how cool it was that I almost ripped that guy's throat out. With smiles, relief and exhaustion thick in the air, we all piled back into the Buick, eager to make our way back to the Manor.

Back home.

* * *

A/N: The Quote Hunt is from the White Stripes.

I am going on vacation today. (I leave in about 30 min!) I wont be back until Saturday, but I am taking my laptop so that I can respond to reviews and hopefully find a little bit of time to write the next chapter. So, if I miraculously update before within the next week, praise me. Lol.

Also, sorry this took a bit to post and it is sort of short and it isn't Beta'd. I was busy debating the pros and cons of getting a tattoo and packing for the trip. Lol. I have reached my verdict.

Does anyone out there have or want tattoos? Give me your opinion on the matter!


	40. A Could Be Threat

Disclaimer: Hedley Lamarr from Blazing Saddles once said: "Unfortunately there is one thing standing between me and that property: the rightful owners." I have the same dilemma with Twilight…

A/N: This chapter took me forever to figure out. I knew where it was going, just not how to get there. But, I figured it out. ;o) I had every single one of you in mind when I wrote this. I hope you like it!

Oh, and I got impatient and uploaded this chapter without my Beta. She will probably be pissed at me, but that is okay. I can grovel later. So, ignore the mistakes.

Indulge your curiosity, loves with CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN!!!

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Seven

BPOV

True to her word, Alice and I made a trip to the beach a few days later accompanied by Esme and Rosalie. We made a "girls day" out of it; dressing in cute bikinis, painting our nails and mixing margaritas that we were never going to drink but we liked how we looked with the wide-rimmed, colorfully tinted glasses in our hands.

The beach had been a lot of fun actually. We lay out under a cloudy sky, spending our time either sprawled out on our bright beach towels or in the water, swimming to the very depths of the cool bay, not needing to breath.

The whole concept of not having to breathe was fascinating to test out.

I had, literally, swam under the water for half an hour straight without coming up for air, swimming to the very bottom, watching the various fish and other aquatic life swim by me. I had even grabbed a fish and nit into it, deciding to try fish blood… I will stick to mammals. Cold-blooded animals tasted like utter shit.

The best part about the mini trip was the fact that Alice had chosen a relatively secluded beach which no one really visited and/or knew about due to its seclusion. For me, this was a field day. I didn't have to worry about accidentally killing one of the beachgoers or any of that hubbub nonsense.

We spent a few hours lounging around before calling it a day. However, when we had returned to Adare later that same day, we had found the men in a state of panic. Jasper's worry and unease was leaking out into the room around him as he paced back and forth. Edward and Carlisle were poised on the couch in various stages of distress. Emmett, who was standing at one of the big stain glass windows staring out with a shape gaze searching the forests for some unseen threat, was not much better.

"What happened?" Alice immediately cried out sprinting to Jasper, halting his pacing form with a big hug, her tiny arms stretching up to wrap around his neck.

"You didn't see?" Edward asked his head whipping up quickly and his eyes locking with Alice's, surprise lacing his tone. I walked over to stand behind the couch that he was sitting in. I reached out and grasped onto Edward's shoulders, pulling his body back into the couch as I massaged his broad, tense shoulders.

"No." Alice panicked, her eyes going wide with her rising unease. I could tell that she was not only expecting to have missed the worst but also berating herself for her lack of a vision pertaining to what had obviously transpired in our short absence.

"What did she miss?" Esme was panicking too, her body having not moved from the archway since we had entered the keeping room to begin with.

"How did you miss this?" Jasper mumbled quietly, his thumbs making small circles over the apples of Alice's cheeks.

"My, God!" Rose stomped her foot impatiently. "Just tell us what the hell happened! She obviously did not see what went down so let's just skip past all of this 'you didn't see?' shit and just tell us what happened!"

"I agree with Rose." I shrugged, keeping my voice at a normal level so that people didn't start yelling like Rosalie had been.

Carlisle stood up slowly, walking towards the middle of the room before turning to us. "Before I say anything, I want you all to keep in mind that we aren't sure if this could truly pose a threat but we are just being cautious." Carlisle looked to every one of us women (since we were the only ones out of the loop) for confirmation before he continued.

"We were out hunting today, close to home, for some smaller game that runs on the property. We had run out towards the southern edge when we came across the strong scent of another vampire; an old vampire." Carlisle paced back and forth.

"Was it Aro?" Rose speculated, a manicured hand slapping the top of the end table that was next to Edward and I on the couch. "Or Caius? I swear to--"

"No, Rose." Carlisle cut her off swiftly. "It wasn't Aro or Caius. The scent was familiar, though, but only to me. I just can't place it and it is bothering me to no end."

"So it wasn't the Volturi?" Esme whispered her voice small and meek compared to her usually strong, motherly voice.

"We aren't sure. The scent is familiar to me but Edward, Emmett and Jasper didn't recognize it at all so that means it was someone that we didn't cross paths with on our last visit to Volterra." Carlisle sighed deeply.

"I don't know who all you ran across and a lot of the guard members were out on assignments while you guys were visiting so I can't even begin to compile a list of people it could have been." I said, my tone apologizing.

"That is fine Bella." Jasper comforted me. "We don't expect you to have the answer when not one of the rest of us does either."

"That wasn't everything that happened though." Edward mumbled in an almost inaudible tone.

"Did you see the person?" Alice jumped to conclusions. "Did you hear their thoughts?"

"No, Alice," Carlisle answered in an even tone. "We followed the scent, trying to locate the vampire but our search was quickly ended when their scent led us directly to a mangled human body lying in the bracken on the edge of the big lake. The person was dead and completely drained of blood except for splotches of still wet blood marring the clothing and matting down the hair indicating that it was a relatively fresh kill."

Carlisle paused slightly, running a hand wearily through his hair. "We flipped the body over and found that it was a young man and the faint traces of his scent were familiar." He left the room only to return a few seconds later, brandishing a blood-soaked shirt.

The scent hit me like a hurricane crashing down onto a New Orleans; unstoppable and potentially destructive. The scent awoke my inner demon and caused my glands to work over-time, producing my deadly venom at an alarming rate.

I took small, quick breaths in an effort to desensitize myself to the scent enough that I could bear to be in the same room as it.

I took one deep breath, preparing to put the dire thirst that was plaguing my throat behind me, when the scent struck me funny.

I knew that scent.

"No," I breathed, shaking my head in denial while Carlisle and Jasper nodded, solemnly, confirming my fears.

"How? Why?" I was now breathing at an alarming rate, getting as close as immortally possible to a vampire hyperventilating.

"I am sick and tired of being out of the loop here." Rosalie huffed crossly. "So, please, enlighten me."

"Take a deep breath, Rose. Focus on the scent of the blood." Emmett instructed from his spot at the window, his eyes not quitting his search.

Rose breathed in deep, Esme and Alice doing the same.

"Oh, my God," Alice gasped quietly, recognition flittering across her features. "The man from the business cubicle yesterday? The one Bella wanted to kill?"

I nodded slowly, disliking how this was playing out.

"Who would have done this?" Esme asked, her maternal instincts kicking in, her eyes darting around in search of a threat that we—her children and husband—needed protection from.

"Someone is trying to send a message to us; but mainly to Bella." Jasper said, hugging Alice tighter. "I have no idea who, though. I searched the body for any signs or clues which might lead us to find the person behind this but there was no evidence or possible trails pointing towards someone in particular."

"Did you guys follow the fuck-up's scent to see if you could catch up or find anything possibly useful?" Rose demanded.

"Yes we did." Edward replied as if it was obvious that they had.

"And?" Rosalie prodded for more information.

"Nothing." Emmett growled. "Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. At all. The little fucker hopped in a car and bailed. We were able to discern one thing though."

"What was that?" Esme asked with baited breath.

"There were two of them. Both old vampires and roughly the same age." Carlisle sat back down on the couch, giving up on his pacing.

"You said that you weren't sure if they posed a threat but the fact they killed that man from yesterday doesn't sound like a coincidence. Hell, it sounds like a threat or warning to me!" I pointed out, my mind racing a mile a minute thinking over anyone who had it out for me.

"I said that so you all wouldn't prematurely jump to conclusions." Carlisle smiled tightly, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "If I would have said 'We are in danger' what would you have done? Panicked? Jumped to conclusions?"

I nodded knowing it was true.

"Exactly," Carlisle rested his chin on his fists as he looked around at all of us. "Until we get this sorted out, I want everyone to say within two miles of the Manor—less if possible—and never leave alone. I want at least three of us together anytime you exit the house, okay?"

We all nodded in agreement. It was a very good idea, too. There was power in numbers, if I was remembering the saying correctly. We just had to hope that _we _didn't end up outnumbered in the end.

oOoOoOoOoOo

The family disbanded a few moments later after Carlisle had implemented a few more ground rules for the duration of our situation. Edward and I retired to our room for the afternoon, choosing to lie down on the bed and rest for a long time.

Just him and I together.

It was great.

We lay on the bed for a few hours not really needing to talk but choosing to do so anyways.

We chatted about my day at the beach and he told me about how he remembered from when he was human about how is parents took him to the beach. But it wasn't the ocean or anything like that. They had taken him up to the Great Lakes since they were close by and he had spent the weekend lounging on the shores around the lakes.

I really enjoyed hearing the stories about Edward's human life that he still remembered. It made me feel oddly connected to him. I couldn't explain it but all I knew was that when he launched into one of his "I remember when I was human…" tales that I inexplicably closer to him.

Maybe it was the fact that he was sharing such personal information with me.

"I touched an eel!" I was telling Edward about my adventures of swimming without burdened by the need to breathe. "It was so much fun."

"An eel?" Edward's nose scrunched up adorably. "Why would you even get close to one of those things? They are strange looking."

"I don't know," I sighed, answering truthfully. "I just saw it and decided to poke it. It is not like I was going to be harmed by the stupid little thing."

"I also tried drinking a fish's blood. It was disgusting." I fake gagged at the memory of the foul stuff sliding down my throat.

"I did that once, too." Edward admitted sheepishly. "It was actually here, at the Manor. I had gone out into the big lake, the one where we found that man at earlier, and I tried my hand at fishing."

"And…?"

"Fishing was the most boring thing I have ever experienced and the fish tasted like terrible human food. Like a greasy slice of pizza or something equally unhealthy." He grimaced slightly at the memory.

"Do you ever get used to it?" I asked quietly.

"The fish? I wouldn't know I have only had it once."

"No, I mean the seeing dead bodies part. You acted so nonchalantly earlier when you guys were talking about finding the dead man and searching him, stuff like that." I cleared up my previous question.

"No, not really. I have just learned how to hide my reactions." Edward admitted after a moment of consideration. "I have seen so much death, though, that I almost expect to be used to it."

"What did you do with the man's body?" The question had been nagging at the back of my head for a few hours now, but it hadn't been the right time to ask before.

"Carlisle and Jasper are taking care of it. They are going to make sure he gets returned to his family." Edward answered solemnly.

"That is good." I mused, my mind was elsewhere.

Edward nodded slowly. "Yes, now we just need to figure out what two vampires did this so that we can put this whole ordeal behind us."

"Wait," I interrupted quickly. "They were two old vampires, right? The scents you all picked up in the forest?"

Edward nodded, a look of confusion causing him to knit his brows tightly together, wondering where I was going with this.

"How did you know they were old?" I was curious about how you could tell age from a vampire's scent.

"Come on," Edward motioned for me to take his hand. "This is a perfect learning opportunity."

We walked, hand in hand, down to the first floor where upon Edward called out to Jasper and Emmett.

"What is it?" Emmett asked as he and Jasper appeared at the landing above us.

"I was going to take Bella into the forest to show her how to differentiate between scents of older vampires versus younger vampires. I would like you two to come along as a precaution." Edward explained simply as Emmett and Jasper nodded in agreement, making their way downstairs to join us.

We silently made our way through woods, our eyes and ears focusing in on every little sound around us. We were risking nothing.

We finally arrived at the bank of the biggest lake on the property, the sun glistening off of the murky surface of the water, glittering like the skin on my body. We quickly made our way around the edge until we arrived at a certain spot where the scent of blood was strong but not strong enough to tempt me. The freshness of the air and the constant breeze had factored into diluting the scent substantially.

"You smell the blood, right Bella?" Edward asked even though he already knew the answer to his question. I humored him anyways and nodded my confirmation.

"Good," he said simply before leaning down and sticking his finger in the muddy ground. When he pulled his hand back up I noticed the traces of the slightly coagulated blood dotting the soil in his hand. "Close your eyes and focus on the scent of the blood alone."

I did as he said, my sharp senses easily discerning the uniquely strong scent of the blood from those surrounding it.

"What now?" I asked after the task was complete.

"Now I want you to sniff the air and tell me what you smell besides the blood and nature itself." Edward instructed as he walked a few feet away to speak to Jasper and Emmett while I focused on the challenge at hand.

I closed my eyes again and let my senses lead me. I could smell the refreshing scent of grass and muddy water. I could smell the fresh soil and the blood that was mixed into it. I also smelled something that was sort of sweet almost like honey roasted almonds and amber.

"What smells like almonds and amber?" I asked the three men as I opened my eyes.

"That, Bella, is the scents of the filthy lunatics that did this." Emmett answered firmly.

"It smells like one vampire, not two. I don't smell to different scents. I though Carlisle said there was two of them?" I was worried that my nose was malfunctioning somehow.

"No, their scents are just really similar. It is almost as though it came from family members like a father and his son or someone closely related like that." Jasper explained to me.

"Oh," I sighed relieved that it wasn't some freaky mess up on my end of everything.

Then it hit me.

Shit.

"So, it was two old vampires, roughly the same age, who Carlisle thinks he knew but can't remember right now and they are probably family?" I went through the details quickly to make sire that I wasn't forgetting anything crucial that would change my theory.

"Yeah, why?" Emmett asked, his eyebrows pulling together over his dark eyes.

"Oh, crap."

"What is it Bella?" Edward quickly strode to my side, placing his hands on either side of my face so that I was forced to look him in the eyes.

"I know who it is."

* * *

A/N: Uh-oh! Who is it??

Quote Hunt: There isn't one! Sorry! The chapter was hard enough to type without sneaking a quote in, too.

Over my little break I was going through the list of people who have me on Alert and such and I was checking out some of my readers/reviewers/lurkers stories and I found some pretty cool ones out there! You guys have some mad skillz. (Haha! Sorry.) Well, I added a three or four of them to my favorites so go check them out while you await an update from me. :) Make sure you review each one. They need more attention.

On a different note, I am sad. Sad because I don't think you guys love me anymore. :( I have only been getting half the reviews I normally get per chapter. So, let me know that you are still out there! Review!

Much love.


	41. Sensory Lessons and Story Time

Disclaimer: Hedley Lamarr from Blazing Saddles once said: "Unfortunately there is one thing standing between me and that property: the rightful owners." I have the same dilemma with Twilight…

A/N: I love you all! Every one of you! I am just… woo-wee! Haha. Anyways, I just wanted to tell you all that I love you. Mmkay?

One of my readers asked me if I could explain how you could tell and old vampire from a new vampire and what my take on this would be since I veered off path last chapter and never covered it. So, **RogueNLogan**, the beginning of this chapter is for you!

If you are not interested in my little EPOV rant, skip down about a thousand words or so to the BPOV. However I wish that you wouldn't! I worked hard on the first part!

* * *

"What do you do with a drunken sailor?

What do you do with a drunken sailor?

Early in the morning."

--Sung by Dwight K. Schrute on

_The Office_ Episode "Booze Cruise"

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Eight

EPOV

**How to Differentiate Between Old and Young Vampires 101**

**Crash-Course **

Scent triggers a person's memory more acutely than any of the other five senses. Maybe that was why vampires, in general, were good trackers. Maybe you could even connect that to how a vampire was able to remember everything. Their strong senses associate the memory with the specific scents of those surrounding them at that particular moment, allowing the vampire to be able to recall a specific moment in time with amazing clarity.

Just by the scents.

Now, in regards to the scents, each and every person has a scent that is unique to them and that scent is not something that can be replicated in another being. It just isn't feasible. However, when a biological family is together, it can be hard to differentiate between them and pick out their uniqueness due to the fusion of the blood that occurs from the two parents at the moment of conception.

There are tells though—little things that can help you to pick out the minute differences in the family's scents if your sight was not accessible to you at that particular moment. It is immensely helpful in situations where you needed to track beings of familial decent; to pick out one particular person out of the group of that family and hone in on their scent, ignoring the others.

It took an immense amount of time spent practicing a perfecting your sense of smell. That was why most vampires never became decent trackers like James was. The vampires are too busy with other things to take the time to sharpen their senses to the point where they were effective and could pick out those differences.

Among the differences were simple things like varying hormone levels. Men and women have different hormone levels that affect their blood, signaling to every vampire that there is a definite difference between the genders. Pre-menstrual girls also had a slightly different scent than women who had reached menopause and vice-versa. Even things such as pregnancies could be considered a woman's "tell".

You could also tell what age range the person could be classified in from their scents. The younger the child, the more pure and fresh the blood smelled indicating that the host had yet to be tainted with the perils of disease and age. This made the blood sweeter. As the body ages it is susceptive to the things that the child had not yet been exposed to, not to mention that it as begun to decay, preparing itself for the death that will come at the end of the host's years.

This was much the same with vampires. The venom flowing through the veins of the host also carried a scent working in ways much the same as a human's blood.

When the vampire is a newborn, its venom and scent will be an almost mirror of their sire's just fresher, untainted—like the baby's—only with a hint of themselves thrown into the mix. Over the course of the first year of the newborn's life, while the host's new body absorbed its leftover human blood, the scent of the sire will remain but become diluted over the months giving way to the unique scent of the newborn until you can find no traces of the sires scent lingering in the venom.

Although vampires never age or physically change in any real way, they are subject to many things that, eventually, will mark the vampire with signs of age.

Take the Volturi for example. Aro, Marcus and Caius all share a papery like quality to their skin not to mention the foggy, milky looking film that coats the majority of their pupils. This is a direct product of their lack of activity. In order for a vampire to remain strong and agile we must stay active and hunting gives us that necessary activity whereas the Volturi have their food brought to them, no hunting involved.

There is another thing that happens to every vampire, which reveals your age. You cannot escape this like you can the other by staying active. No, every single vampire, if they live long enough, will be subject to this.

Just like with the adult human having been exposed to many things, tainting the body, vampires are much the same. While disease and sickness do not affect us, we still drink it in through our victims. If a vampire drank from a man with iron deficiencies, then that vampire would now have an iron deficiency. It would not harm the vampire but, over time, the amount of diseases they have accumulated starts to add up and taints the venom.

A vampire's venom is always potent enough to change a human being, no matter what their age. However, when the vampire has had these all of these _things _adding up inside of them, it will eventually lessen the bite, I guess you could say, of their venom. It becomes less potent, if you will.

By becoming less potent, this does not mean that it is ineffective; it just will take longer for the change to finish if one is bitten by an older vampire, making it more painful for the victim.

Now there are differences between those of us who drink from animals and from humans. While animals do get sick, they are not as filthy and disease ridden as some of the humans in the world. Therefore those who drink from a bunch of "rotten" humans will find that their venom looses its potency faster. Those who drink from animals still accumulate the diseases but at a much slower rate making our venom appear to be younger than we actually are which can work in ones favor.

But, as mentioned before, it takes a hell of a lot of practice to perfect this art. Hell, I had been doing it for years but I still wasn't good at it.

**Lesson Concluded

* * *

**

BPOV

"_So, it was two old vampires, roughly the same age, who Carlisle thinks he knew but can't remember right now and they are probably family?" I went through the details quickly to make sire that I wasn't forgetting anything crucial that would change my theory._

"_Yeah, why?" Emmett asked, his eyebrows pulling together over his dark eyes._

"_Oh, crap."_

"_What is it Bella?" Edward quickly strode to my side, placing his hands on either side of my face so that I was forced to look him in the eyes._

"_I know who it is."_

I didn't even bother to answer their questions and surprised remarks as I turned on my heel and headed towards the Manor, the entire time my mind was chanting "please let me be wrong, please let me be wrong."

If, in fact, I turned out to be right we were in a hell of a lot of trouble and there wasn't anything we could do about it; a fight of some sorts would be inevitable.

The question that I didn't want to think about was: who would survive?

I never even glanced behind me to make sure that Edward, Emmett and Jasper were following me, I just assumed and continued my speedy flight back into the house, screaming Carlisle's name the whole way.

This was fucking urgent.

I burst through the double doors in from of the Manor only to be met with a much disheveled and slightly annoyed Carlisle and Esme standing at the base of the stairs.

"I am sorry for interrupting your… erm… quality together time but I wouldn't have interrupted if it wasn't of the utmost importance." I rambled on hoping that they weren't too peeved at me.

"I know you wouldn't, Bella," Esme reassured me before she darted over to the mirror on the wall to fix her "sex hair."

"What was so important?" Carlisle asked getting right to the point.

"I know who did it. It makes perfect sense."

"Who was it?" Jasper asked from behind me, Edward and Emmett flanking him with curious expressions on their faces. "You ignored all of our questions back at the lake."

"How about we get everyone together before I say this, there is a bit of a back story that you need to know about." I suggested, motioning to the very room that we had all been in not five hours ago, discussing what had gone down while us ladies were out.

Carlisle nodded before calling out to Rose and Alice. In thirty seconds flat, the entire family was assembled in the keeping room, expectantly awaiting my speech/explanation. I felt like I was in an episode of The Cosby Show. I could almost see Cliff making some funny remark about his children while woofing down a sub sandwich.

"So, as you were saying…" Rose prodded, wanting to find out just as much as the next person but they were going to have to wait for another minute or so because I seriously needed to gather my thoughts and figure out how exactly I was going to explain this all to them and have it make sense.

"All right," I sighed, pulling an arm chair out into the middle of the room so that I could sit and still see all of the Cullens around me in a half moon shape.

"When Carlisle said the other day that he believed that the two vampires were old and the scent was sort of familiar to him, but not to the rest of you, I started to compile a mental list of all the old vampires around that not only worked in pairs but I also knew Carlisle had met." I explained, pausing between every sentence to make sure that they understood.

"Well I knew I could cross off the Romanians because they were just here and everyone knows their scents. Then I thought about Demitri and Heidi but you all met them in Volterra so it couldn't have been them either. Plus, Demitri and Heidi would never do something like that to me, even as a joke. So my list was pretty much nonexistent except for one pair of vampire's names."

I was gripping to arms of the chair at this point. I had to remind myself to let go before I broke one of Esme's lovely antique chairs.

"Anyways, I was iffy on their possible involvement for a few hours because while they had motive and the skills and resources needed to pull this off, it didn't fit their normal method of operation." I looked around to each one of the Cullens, noting their excited and curious expressions.

"That was, until we were out by the lake and Edward told me that the scents were familiar because, in all likeliness, it came from two _related _vampires." I sighed. "That was when I knew for sure that my hunch was correct. I knew of no other old, related vampires anywhere and I know I have read up on most everyone out there."

"Who was it?" Emmett leaned closer to me as though I was telling a captivating ghost story.

"Jane and Alec."

"The twins?" Carlisle gasped, his eyes going wide with fright. When I nodded in confirmation, his eyes got impossibly wider. "Do you know what they are capable of?"

"I do."

"Wait," Esme interrupted. "I have heard of them and I know they are two people that you don't want to mess with, but what exactly is it that they can do?"

"Jane can place the idea of pain, usually in the form of a burning fire, into your mind until you actually believe that you are consumed in that fire even though it isn't real." Edward answered solemnly. "I have heard that it is more painful than the change itself."

"What about Alec?" Alice prodded.

"Alec can, for lack of a better description, block your senses leaving you immobile and vulnerable to attack." Carlisle answered in a no-nonsense tone.

"God…" Rose grimaced. "Why the hell do they have a problem with us?"

"They don't have a problem with you all," I scrubbed my hands over my face before pressing my palms into my eyes, roughly.

"Then--"

"It is me that they have a problem with."

"Why?" Jasper asked, his curiosity peaked at the idea of two fearsome vampires having it out for me… again… "What did you do to piss them off so badly?"

"I sort of got them kicked out of the Volturi." I cringed, waiting for the explosion of questions but they never came. I opened my eyes cautiously to see all of the Cullens with various expressions of shock and amusement gracing their features.

"You… got them… kicked out?" Jasper snorted, barley keeping his laughter in.

"I didn't mean to!"

"Only you, Bella, only you." Emmett shook his head at me in amusement, clearly finding hilarity in this situation. We had two maniacal vampires on the loose, wanting us dead (or worse) and they are laughing.

"Laugh all you want but I guarantee you that Jane and Alec aren't laughing right now, they are plotting their next move." I crossed my arms and glared and Jasper, Emmett and Rose, all of whom were laughing but my comment seemed to sober them up.

"How the hell did you get them kicked out? From what I have heard, Jane was always Aro's favorite!" Jasper exclaimed, shaking his head a little probably thinking the same thing Emmett had just said: "Only you, Bella."

"And that is where my story begins." I waited for them to return their full attention to me before I would continue.

"So it has been almost six years since the date you all left me, right?" I asked even though I didn't need confirmation. I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Edward wince a little but it wasn't as pronounced as before. Maybe his guilt had lessened some.

"And a year after you all left was when the Volturi showed up and took me back with them. So that would be a little less than five years since I first joined their ranks." I nodded my head for my own benefit as my mind sorted through the important details.

"Anyways, when I first arrived at Volterra I was put through some rigorous tests and training to see what exactly my power entailed and what my limits were. Among the things that I could do was the fact that I was impervious to everything Jane and Alec threw at me. It didn't affect me one bit." I was proud of myself for that.

"However, Jane and Alec—mainly Jane—were not as thrilled about this as the Volturi were. They thought of me as inferior and a waste of time. They couldn't understand why Aro didn't just change me or kill me. To them, the solution was simple. I was nothing valuable in their eyes. I was just another quick fix until the next time they became thirsty." I always knew Jane had it out for mw from the day she met me, but I had to admit that she was a bit of a drama queen.

"Aro started testing me with Jane and Alec because he wondered if I was worn out if I would be more susceptible to their powers or if my block worked not matter what." This was where things got interesting.

"One day, about four months after I had arrived, Aro put Demitri, Jane, Alec and I in the same room with the intent of me pinning all three of them to the walls and holding the there while I was being attacked from all sides." I leaned back into my chair, my eyes following my right hand as it drew patterns across my leg.

"We had just begun and Demitri was the first one up. He charged at me and I easily pinned him against the far wall, keeping him there as Alec and Jane both emerged. That was when I knew something was wrong. I was only supposed to be taking one attacker at a time. By the evil smirks on their childish faces, I knew I was in trouble." I shuddered at the memory, still vivid in my head.

"I panicked." I admitted shamefully. "I absolutely choked and forgot about my shield and everything else I could do. I just stood there, vulnerable, as I watched the Devious Duo charge at me."

I chanced a glance over at the Cullens noting that Edward looked like was going to rip someone's head off. Silly overprotective boy.

"Thankfully, when I had panicked, I had dropped my hold on Demitri and he was able to charge in front of me at the last minute and fended off their attacks, yelling at me to run and find Aro." I would forever be thankful to Demitri for that. "I did as he said and dashed to where Aro was at, pacing the turret room. As soon as I told him what happened, he darted out of the room giving me instructions to stay there with Felix while he took care of business.

"Felix and I hung out and threw a tennis ball—he was obsessed with baseball and was fascinated with the fact that Phil, my step-dad, actually played—back and forth for about forty five minutes until Aro came gliding into the room, a stern expression on his face. He just mumbled that it had been "taken care of" and that was the last he said about it."

I grimaced at the next memory floated to the surface. "At first I had thought that Aro had simply sent Jane and Alec on a mission or told them to avoid me at all costs and that was why I wasn't seeing them around. Later on I found out that Jane had been pissed off at Aro and accused him of replacing her as his favorite with me and how it was fair because I was a human and therefore I deserved to die."

I chuckled humorlessly.

"Aro apparently disagreed with her accusations and he strongly disliked the fact that she was insulting me so he told her that he had had enough and wanted her and her brother out of his sight as fast as possible. They left not even a minute later, not bothering to take any of their belongings with them."

"My, God." Emmett stared at me.

"Yeah…"

"Bella Swan, one thing is for sure," Carlisle said with a smirk. "When you are around, nothing is ever dull."

"I do what I can." I joked.

"So, just like that Alec and Jane were out?" Edward asked. "What would they want now? Revenge?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it." I told him truthfully, knowing what they really wanted.

"Then why are they doing these things?" Esme questioned with a bewildered tone to her voice.

"Simple," I smiled kindly. "There is only one thing in this world that means more to Jane and Alec than themselves and that is the Volturi. They fucking live and breathe everything Volturi. I bet they are still out there with there robes on, deluding themselves to think that they are just on a really long mission." I laughed knowing that was entirely possible. "But, no, Jane and Alec know that Aro wants me. They probably figure that if they can get me, alive, and bring me back to Aro that they will be forgiven and let back in."

"That is sick." Rose grimaced, her lovely face twisting unattractively.

"I'll say."

"So what do you propose we do?" Alice asked.

"I don't know what Carlisle wants to do, it is his call, but I say we just wait." I answered.

Carlisle nodded his agreement.

"We need to be prepared for anything but, Bella is right: all we can do is wait." Carlisle spoke with authority in his voice.

And so the waiting begun.

* * *

A/N: So, apparently I am "fetch." What the hell does fetch mean? Haha. Anyways… Gee willikers! That was some heavy stuff, right? I hope you got everything. Anyways, no QH. There probably won't be another one for a little bit. It is getting more difficult to sneak them in here for you all! Sorry loves.

Keep in mind that there isn't much left in this story. They have to get past this obstacle (whether or not everyone makes it is up for interpretation) and then we have an Epilogue. That is 5 chapters at most!! You guyssssss! I am so sad to see this almost over! :( Ahem, that is fetch…? Did I use that right?

ONE) This isn't Beta'd. My Beta's computer/internet crashed. :(

TWO) Go read my favorites.

What do you want to see happen in the upcoming conflict/problem with Jane and Alec?


	42. Abracadavers

Disclaimer: Hedley Lamarr from Blazing Saddles once said: "Unfortunately there is one thing standing between me and that property: the rightful owners." I have the same dilemma with Twilight…

A/N:** No I Am NOT Dead. Sorry.** Ughhhh, I have been having a crazy hard time lately organizing my schedule to fit everything that needs to be done into it. Unfortunately FanFic isn't always included in that plan. I guess getting ready for a new year of school and everything else thrown in the mix can be insane. Not to mention my friends all decided that they wanted to hang out with me all of the sudden. Lol. I swear I get three different calls a day asking me what I am doing for dinner and whether or not I want to go take the boat out on the lake. :P Erg… I hope you understand if everything gets a hectic for a while.

**P**-friggin-**S**: The chapter sucks. Really. I wouldn't lie to you all. And it is short. Short and sucks. Short and sucks. Say it a few times fast and suddenly those words have no meaning at all.

Indulge your curiosity, loves, with Chapter Thirty-Nine!!

* * *

"It seems we're beautifully made and designed.  
But it's a shame we can be so blind. We're all the same.  
We're all to blame, for spending way too much time on ourselves.  
I have been blessed and now I'm blind.  
A veil's been pulled over my eyes.  
Now every bad season that kept me believing seems so contrite."

--"Abracadavers" by The Classic Crime

Chapter Thirty-Nine

BPOV

Waiting, I have decided, is hell. Complete and utter hell. For the past three days everyone of us has been on pins and needles, not going anywhere unless absolutely necessary and even then we stayed very close to the Manor incase we were needed.

Emmett and Rosalie, who tended to venture out to one of the smaller cabins on the outskirts of the property for some occasional alone time, had ceased doing so. They, instead, opted to stay closer to home incase of an emergency and just for the sheer fear of being caught off guard.

All of us shared their fears.

Alice, no matter how hard she tried, couldn't get a vision about the twins. We had been trying to solve that mystery ever since she discovered that she couldn't see them. We weren't sure if it was just the fact that their plans were not concrete yet or if it was the fact that they knew about her power and were blocking her or maybe even if she couldn't see them because she had never met them before.

She had explained that she had a hard time getting visions about people she wasn't familiar with but she was usually able to at least get a flicker of _something_. It was odd for her to be completely in the dark like she was.

We had no idea what we were up against and being in the dark like we were only served to fuel our fears to the point where even stone, unmoving creatures like ourselves were feeling jittery and shaky.

By the time the fourth day rolled around, we were restless and itching for something to happen.

"Ugh!!" Alice moaned for the thousandth time from her spot on the coffee table in my library. She had been sitting there for the last few hours trying to see if a peaceful environment would help her focus. She had stated that Jasper was leaking paranoia and it was throwing her off.

"Still nothing?" I asked even though I already knew the answer. We had all continued asking just for the sheer sake of something to do.

"No and I could have sworn that I had _felt _a vision starting that time. I know I did. The swirly, fogginess started to set in before is disappeared. It was almost as though something pulled it back." Alice's head dropped into her hands as she let out a small-frustrated growl.

"I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for this." I assured her, hoping that she would stop beating herself up for her lack of sight.

"I don't care if there is a "reasonable explanation" or whatever, I want to know now!" Alice whined, her soprano voice traveling an octave higher than usual.

"Well obviously nothing is going to happen _now _so just take a break, Alice. You are going to kill yourself with all of this stressing that you have been doing for the past few days." I sighed having already told her this a few times today. She hadn't once listened.

"I can't take a break! I could miss the one opportunity that I get at a vision and then we would be even more screwed than we are now!" Alice fisted her hair witch had lost its spikes and gone flat in the last few hours from lack of styling and product.

"Alice, Alice, Alice," I put my book down and unfolded my legs from the couch so that I could walk over to her and take her hands out of her hair. Before I could say any more she started talking again.

"I am so tired of this. All I see is blackness and it scares me! I can't protect anyone in this state of mind." She panicked, her eyes going wide and clouding over as she, once again, searched for a vision that wasn't coming.

"I know it isn't what you want to do, but I seriously think that you just need a break. Take a breather for about an hour or two and then come back and try again." I rubbed her shoulders comfortingly before pulling her to her feel and ushering her out of the door.

"Fine, Bella, but don't expect me to stop for long. I won't miss this!" Alice stumbled off drunkenly, her hands rubbing furiously at her temples. She really needed the break.

I sighed darkly and turned back, retreating into my library, my safe haven in these pressing times. I plopped back down onto the couch I had been occupying before. Instead of having a distraught Alice to entertain me this time, I stared out the window, gazing towards the glowing orb of the mid-day sun dangling off a string like lethargically winding deception, luring you in to a fiery ball of destruction with its pretty colors and welcoming warmth.

"Knock, knock." Jasper announced from outside of the room.

"Yes?"

"Did you finally get her to stop for a bit?" Jasper asked as he poked his head out from the hall way and into the library, his thick blond hair curling wildly around his face like a lion's mane.

"Eh, I got her to leave and tell me that she wasn't going to look anymore for an hour but I don't think she meant it. She is probably checking again as we speak." I rolled my eyes at him, a small smile flicking up the corners of my mouth.

"Ali is very driven when she wants to be. It is going to take a lot more than an order from you to stop her." Jasper grinned back at me as he entered the room at a casual pace.

"Yeah," I agreed as my eyes wandered back to the window, my sharp gaze catching each glittering spark of the sun's rays as they bounced off of the small lake that sat below the window.

Jasper and I sat in silenced for a few minutes lost in our own thoughts. Conversation was not needed to fill in the gaps; we just needed to simply be there. It was comfortable.

"You need to hunt." Jasper commented, his dull gold eyes landing on my dark caramel colored ones.

"I know, but I just haven't had the time." I lied as smoothly as I could even though I am sure I still didn't succeed.

"Liar." He smirked back as me, his left hand reaching out to poke my side playfully.

"So?"

"We are going hunting. You need to keep your energy up young lady." Jasper stood up swiftly, offering his hand to me in assistance. I grabbed it, huffing moodily as he pulled me up.

"Young lady?" I quirked an eyebrow up at him accusingly. "I am older than you if I am not mistaken."

"Please," Jasper rolled his eyes as he pulled me towards the door. "Physically you may be older but technically I beat you by a hundred years, easy."

"Old fart." I mumbled sarcastically, delivering a swift elbow to his ribs.

"Oh, so now you want to be young. I see how it is."

"Yeah, yeah," I waved my hand dismissively as I exited the room, heading towards the stairs. "Now how about that hunting you promised me? I am feeling a bit thirsty."

"Are you guys going hunting?" Edward asked, his head appearing out of the door to our room.

"Yes sir!" I answered, skipping over to give him a light peck on the cheek.

"Can I join you two? The more of us together the safer we are; or, correction, the safer I will feel." Edward responded simply as he swung the door open fully to reveal a chaotic mess strewn about the floor.

"What did you do to your room, Edward?" Jasper gaped at the clutter that covered every surface besides my dresser and his couch.

"I was reorganizing?" He told us but it came out like a question. I pushed past him and walked into the room, surveying the damage. There were boxers piled on the bed, oxfords on a chair and shoes lined up across the rug.

"What…?" I poked at the red plaid boxers sitting on my pillow. "Why are there boxers on my pillow?"

"I told you, I am reorganizing." Edward said.

"Do you do this often? Because I would really like some forewarning next time so that I can have some fresh pillow cases prepared." I scrunched my nose up as though I was repulsed but really I was excited to find out what Edward wore everyday under his jeans and khakis.

"Oh he does this a lot. He just gets these random whims that tell him to clean." Jasper commented from his spot by my dresser, his eyes glued on the dark brown Prada loafers that were next to his feet.

"Plus you don't sleep so what do you need a clean pillow for anyways?" Edward questioned.

"You know I sit in bed at night and read a book or mess around on the laptop." I reminded him casually knowing that he knew that.

Edward just nodded as he plucked one of his crisp polo's up off the ground and hung it on a hanger, disappearing into the closet to put it in its rightful place.

"Are you sure you have time to go hunting with us? If you need to stay and finish cleaning I would understand…" I shrugged as I pulled my eyes away from the various under-garments gracing our bed.

"Of course, just let me find where I put my trainers at." Edward's eyes darted around the room as he looked for the elusive shoes. I chanced a glance at Jasper who had a very concentrated look on his face as though he was focusing really hard on something, but I could still see a smirk ghosting his lips.

"I could have sworn that I had them right next to these…" He bent over and looked under the bed, giving me an excellent view of his ass. A lazy smile spread across my face as I continued to admire his lovely butt, which was proudly displayed for me.

I looked over at Jasper again, sending him a questioning look to which he nodded in response, confirming that he did have the shoes.

"I heard that thought Jasper." Edward stated as he stood up, his topaz eyes honing in on Jasper's guilty face.

I watched as he walked over towards the hallway and stepped outside, returning with his missing black Nike's. He shot a glare at Jasper saying, "Very mature," before sitting down on the edge of the couch and slipping the trainers on.

We made quick of our hunting trip, traveling no further than a quarter mile to catch our food. Luckily for us the property was abundant in deer and other wild animals, which proved to be fairly easy to catch, giving little to no chase.

We returned as quickly as we could, not chancing staying outside for longer than absolutely necessary.

When we arrived back inside, locking the doors behind us just to give us peace of mind. It was completely ineffective towards any of our enemies but it made us feel more secure.

"I have an idea!" A singsong voice called from the direction of the kitchen.

I glanced at Edward who just shrugged in response and headed back towards the Manor's seldom used kitchen, weaving our way through the intricate weave of hallways and broom cupboards to reach our destination.

"Why is the kitchen so hard to get to?" I asked the guys as we walked past an odd looking door that was shaped like a giant barrel top. I assumed it lead to an empty wine cellar.

"Well when Carlisle had the house built, his only instruction to Maggie was to have the kitchen nearly inaccessible." Edward glanced back at me, noting my confused expression. "Not because he didn't want it—he wouldn't have put one in at all if he didn't want the kitchen—it was just that he only wanted vampires to be able to find it, not humans."

"Why didn't he want the humans to be able to find it? Don't they sort of, I don't know, need a kitchen?" I asked incredulously. "I haven't been a vampire _that _long so I know there haven't been any great medical breakthroughs since then."

Jasper let out a chuckle and patted me on the shoulder as we came to a stop outside of a black steel door. "Bella, we don't keep food in here so having a human snooping around our kitchen would not be an… ideal circumstance."

"Oh," I paused, realizing how obvious that was.

Edward opened the thick door in front of us, leading the way into a large, pristine white modern kitchen area. It was spacious with a marble island in the middle. The only true color in the room besides the occasional decorative pot and glass came from the random red tiles that dotted the flooring.

Well… there was color on the people (Emmett, Rosalie and Esme) in the room, too.

"What was your idea?" Edward came right out and asked, not wasting any time dilly-dallying around with small talk and formalities.

"Well, hello to you, too, brother dear. I see you have made it back in one piece. It is good to see you, too. Thanks for asking." Emmett smirked at Edward.

Edward playfully shoved Emmett in the shoulder before hopping up on the counter next to him. "Well…?" He prompted again.

"All right, fine." Emmett huffed. "I think we should call in reinforcements."

"What do you mean by "reinforcements?" Jasper asked in a wary tone.

"We don't know what these twin bitches are bringing to the table to I think we need to be more prepared than seven competent vampires and one untrained new born—sorry, Bella." Emmett tagged onto the end, shooting me an apologetic look. I just waved a hand, forgiving him.

"So you are saying that we should call in others?" Jasper said slowly as though he was testing the idea.

"Yeah, that is what he is saying and it is all he has been saying for the last few hours since he came up with it." Rosalie chipped in.

"It's true," Esme grinned.

"Who would we call?" I asked, my mind wondering how many people—ahem, vampires—the Cullens knew that would be willing to help us out against ex-Volturi Guard Elites.

"Hmm… I think Marcus should be the top of that list because he knows the twins personally. Then maybe the Denali's, the Romanians, Maggie and her crew?" Rosalie rattled off a list quickly. It wasn't a huge group but it would do.

"I think it sounds like a smart idea. We wouldn't want to be caught off guard like they said. Plus, I think that if we had a few strong, capable vampires on our side we would definitely have somewhat of an advantage." Edward nodded, mentally okay-ing the idea.

"No, I think we would just be sending a lot of people to their death." I muttered as I leaned back against a wall, sliding slowly down until my butt touched the ground.

Everyone paused for on brief second before understanding of what exactly I said came over their faces.

"Why do you say that?" Esme asked in a quiet voice.

"I told you what Jane and Alec could do. You remember the whole burning and loosing your senses thing, right?" I asked, trying to refresh their memory.

When they all nodded I sighed deeply and continued.

"We would fail miserably in a fight, if it comes to that, because I am the only one resistant to their powers… at least that I know of." I picked at a stray string on the hem of my sleeve.

They took a second to let my words sink in as they thought over exactly what the consequences would be.

"I think we should call Marcus though. That was a good idea. He does know more than any of us when it comes to the twins." I looked at Rose, shooting her a small smile.

"So we call Marcus but no one else?" Emmett repeated.

I nodded slowly, confirming his question.

"Shit," He mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"Well then we all will be in the same boat. Right?" Jasper asked speculatively, his eyebrow arching high on his forehead.

"Except for me. That is why I think I should confront them alone." I shrugged, not meeting any one's eyes in fear of what I would see.

Disapproval? Certainly.

Anger? From Edward, of course.

Reluctance? Jasper wouldn't pass up a good fight. Nor would Emmett.

"Like hell you will." Edward protested.

I rolled my eyes knowing that he would do this. "Edward, please, you have to see the sense in this. You wouldn't be able to protect me even if you wanted to. You would be immobile or writhing on the ground in pain while a couple of their "minions" or whatever they are rip you to shreds."

"I don't care." He huffed like an irritable two year-old.

I waved my hand dismissively before turning back to the others. "I don't think you guys should have any part in this, honestly." I stood up easily, stretching my arms unnecessarily. "It is a death sentence and it is me that they probably want, anyways. I really, really, really—I cannot stress how much—don't think you should get involved."

"I see your point, but I honestly don't care Bella." Jasper stepped forwards, a dangerous look on his face. "I _will_ be there with you no matter the risk. I can assure you that every other person in this family would do just the same."

Jasper breezed past me and out the door, leaving up with the sounds of his retreating footfalls and the click of the heavy door.

"I guess I will go call Marcus…" I trailed off as I quickly followed Jasper's example and fled the room.

I plucked my new phone out of my pocket, the other having been tragically lost when I threw it against a wall before leaving Volterra, and hit the "M" on the speed dial, connecting to the one person that could help me.

* * *

A/N: What is little Miss Bella planning? Hmmm… any guesses?

**ATTENTION!** I need someone out there who will offer their Beta services to me for a story that I am already working on. So if you are interested please head over to my blog (link on my profile) and check there for details! :)

How was your summer vacation? Review!


	43. What to Do

Disclaimer: Hedley Lamarr from Blazing Saddles once said: "Unfortunately there is one thing standing between me and that property: the rightful owners." I have the same dilemma with Twilight…

A/N: Children. Chill. If I don't update it is because I am busy not because I have forgotten about you. So please refrain from reminding me that I haven't updated in a week or so. I know.

Sorry about the delay. I will save my excuses for people who care and step off my soapbox.

I apologize to anyone who has reviewed/PM'd/emailed me and hasn't received a reply. My inbox is so full of stuff that I can't even begin to sort through it. Thankfully I have a somewhat free day and I fully intend on going through it once I finish this chapter. :)

Also, if I have pissed any of you off in any way, I am sorry. I have been PMSing to the max due to various different things that you neither care about nor what to hear about. But, please keep in mind that I am a girl and I do get bitchy. :) Thank you!

Indulge your curiosity, loves, with Chapter Forty.

* * *

"Take a chance you stupid girl."

-"What You Waiting For?" by Gwen Stefani

* * *

Chapter Forty

BPOV

The phone rang once, twice, three times before an easy, charming voice answered, his suave voice ringing out over the phone, comforting my stressed nerves and calming my turbulent emotions.

"I know I told you to keep in touch but I was thinking more along the lines of every few months not every few days." Marcus admonished playfully. "I just heard from you a week ago, Swan."

"You know you enjoy talking to me, don't try to deny it." I teased right back, my voice taking on a light tone that had not previously been present. Marcus just had this way of… calming me and setting me at ease. Much like Jasper did. The only difference was that Marcus could be halfway across the world (not right next to me as Jasper would have to be) and he could still have a calming effect. Sometimes it was even more potent than Jasper's power.

"Yes, yes, I admit it." Marcus sighed dramatically. "I do like talking to you. Happy now, Miss Swan?"

"I am now." I laughed lightly, feeling a weight lift off of my chest at just the sheer sensation of laughing; truly laughing.

"All silly banter aside, is there any particular reason I can attribute to this phone call?" Marcus asked, his voice slipping from his playfully, teasing tone and into his no-nonsense business tone.

"Yeah, there is a reason I called." I answered slowly, waiting for the barrage of questioning that was soon to come from his end on the line. As I waited, however, no sound came from his side. He added nothing onto our little conversation here. There were no panicked remarks; no worried, rushed words strung together to form jaunted sentences. Nothing.

I took it as a sign to continue with my little explanation of "why I called."

"We sort of had a little situation over here about three days ago, but it all started the day before that when we went into town." I began to explain, quickly checking the screen of my phone to make sure that the lack of response wasn't due to a dropped call.

Nope.

Still there.

"I told you about how we have been building up my immunity to blood and fighting my bloodlust, right?" I asked, hoping to get some sort of response from Marcus' side of our conversation.

Wish granted.

"Yes…" Marcus answered in a deadly, monotone voice. I knew that he meant business with that tone. I had only ever heard it once a year or two ago when one of the Guard had defied orders.

**--FLASHBACK--**

Everyone was lining the walls of the turret room, our heads lowered in fear and respect for the three men who strolled down the middle of the room, the swiftness of their movements making no noise against the cool tile on which they treaded except for the faint swishing of the long, dark robes as they brushed the floor.

It was an ominous, foreboding sound, which made me cringe internally, too scared to outwardly show any movement or display any weakness. They would eat that up.

We kept our eyes adverted as the three men ascended their throne. We knew what this meeting was for even if no one said it out loud. They didn't need to. The thick tension that had settled down over the room in a quilt like blanket seemed to be suffocating me, sucking the air out of my lungs and keeping fresh air just out of the reach of my burning body.

Something bad had happened and we were about to have the consequences delivered to us in whatever manner the Volturi assumed was best fitted for us.

"All," Aro's booming voice rang out in a commanding tone that I had never heard it take on before. However I wasn't surprised. The sound fitted the mood perfectly. Everyone's heads snapped up in answer to his call.

"Now I know that many of you have theories on why we are here and many of you have no idea." Aro stated coolly as he adjusted the hem of his robe to sit perfectly atop his legs, as he was perched on his ornate chair.

"I am here to set you straight." He looked slowly around at all of us, not making eye contact with anyone in particular. He was more just surfing the crowd for effect. "We have had a severe breach in our security and it has come to my attention that some of our most tight-lipped secrets that some of you don't even know about have been leaked."

A wave of hushed murmurs swept over the room as everyone speculated as to who it could have been.

"My money is on the new chick, Lana." Heidi whispered to me in a conspiring tone.

"Why?" I asked. The new Belgian girl seemed sweet. The newborn effects were still wearing off on her, but other than a few control issues, she was a nice girl and she didn't seem to have an evil hair anywhere in her body. It almost made me wonder what she was doing with the Volturi.

"It is always the quiet ones, right?" Heidi quipped, her eyes zoning in on the medium height brunette that was standing across the room from us with a wide-eyed, panicked look on her face.

"I am quiet." I reminded Heidi. "So can't I qualify as secretively dangerous, too?"

"Nah, everyone knows you are lethal so there is nothing "secretive" about it." She brushed me off. "No, it is the new girl."

I was about to open my mouth to respond when a loud clap brought our attention back to the head of the room. "I would like to tell you that you are all wrong in your assumptions." Caius announced in an almost gleeful voice. I heard Heidi mutter a muffled "damn it" from behind me at his announcement.

"We plan to make an example of the young man who is responsible for this treason. However, we are willing to be more lenient with the punishment if he steps forwards and owns up to his sins right now." Caius tapped his fingers patiently against his chair's arms. "We are waiting."

When no one moved for a few moments, Caius sighed and stood up, coming down to our level and heading (so it seemed) right for me. I sucked in a breath fearing that I had accidentally screwed up before I remembered Caius saying that it was a "young man."

Safe.

Caius's eyes were sweeping the crowd to my left and right, skipping over me completely. His eyes lit up deviously when they landed on a burly man to my right, his papery, pale hand darting out to grasp onto the man's forearm and pull him out of the crowd. I was not familiar with the guy, I had seen him in passing of course, but I had never discovered his name (not that I had really cared) but judging by the harsh whispers echoing around me, I assumed that most people were not wholly surprised at the revelation.

I figured that Caius would just take the man and drag him towards the throne to "make an example of him" as he had promised but I was wrong.

Caius was leading the man past me when his free hand latched onto my wrist and yanked me along for the journey. Several loud exclamations of surprise and protest followed me all the way to the front of the room where Aro and Marcus had jumped up from their seats, looking down at Caius in what I could only assume to be disbelief.

"What is the meaning of this, brother?" Aro asked in a clearly confused tone, his eyes digging deeply into Caius' as though he could read his soul without touching him.

Caius simply sneered his menacing little sneer before thrusting me and the unknown man onto our knees in front of the raised stage that held their chairs. "Well, I figured that we could have a little… _help._" He snarled out, his beady little eyes flashing furiously from my face to the man's to Aro's and then back to mine.

It was a cycle.

"What does Bella have to do with any of this?" Aro questioned, his hands gesturing rapidly towards me in his effort to understand.

"She is innocent!" I heard Felix call from the back of the room. I turned and gave a little wave to him, smiling hugely when he waved back with both of his hands flailing over his head in an effort to be seen in the throng of people who had been slowly inching closer in order to be more of "a part" of our little situation here.

"Leave her out of this." Heidi yelled, too, sending me a thumbs-up and a wink to accompany her words. I gave her a small wave of appreciation with my free hand before I turned back around to take in the spectacle forming before me.

"I simply assumed that we could use a third party opinion on the matter of deciding Mr. Langston's punishment." Caius said coolly looking over at the burly man, his voice taking on a falsely innocent tone. "I am sorry if I implied that she had done anything wrong brothers."

Aro sighed and rolled his eyes, but I knew he was giving in. "Bella," he asked lightly. "You don't have to, but apparently _we_," Aro shot a dirty look at Caius, "would like your opinion."

I didn't know what to say to that. Did I want to be responsible for this man's demise? No, I didn't. I started to shake my head to tell them "no" when Caius slapped a cool hand over my mouth, silencing me.

"No, she will do it." And just like that I was suddenly pulled into the center of this turbulent ordeal and, to be quite honest, I had no idea what the hell was going on. What did this burley man do? Why was I up here again? Oh, and most importantly, why me?

"What did he do?" I managed to squeak out, my voice cracking like that of a pubescent boy. The shrill note caused me to jump—the sheer pitch of it startling me.

"You see," Caius began. "Mr. Langston here decided that some of the larger groups of nomads might like to know about our guard schedules and where certain unguarded entrances are located. We have been severely compromised due to the treason of this young man."

Caius walked over to the burly man, tracing a pale, papery finger down the length of his arm before snatching onto his wrist, pulling him to the front center of the elevated portion of the turret room where the throne chairs were located.

"Decide the punishment." Caius commanded me as he swiftly placed himself back up on his chair on the platform.

"No." Marcus' voice rang out, low and clear. It was a deadly sound, menacing almost. It echoed off of the stonewalls, reverberating through everyone's bones. It was chilling and struck fear into me with just one word.

I could feel my heart beat increase ten-fold as Marcus' eye met mine with a level gaze but somehow I managed to see through the cool, hardened façade. He was helping me in whatever capacity he could.

"Well then what do you propose we do?" Aro turned and faced Marcus, searching for the answer.

"We have strict rules here and we read them off to everyone who joins. We have them sign forms of commitment and we bind them with their words. He has broken his promise to us, therefore he must pay the price in accordance to his trespasses." Marcus' voice was deadly and cold as he spoke, silently turning away to sit back down upon his seat.

"Then we are agreed, brothers?" Aro asked, looking at both Caius and Marcus for confirmation. When they both nodded, Aro snapped his fingers once bringing two robed men forwards. "You know what to do." He stated simply, nodding towards the men before motioning with his hand for me to return back to the crowd.

"Let this be an example to all of you," Aro's voice rang out clear over all the chatter. "We take ourselves seriously here. We will not tolerate any shortcomings or inconsistencies within our ranks. You are the most elite of all vampire-kind, take pride in that. I hope I never have to call someone out on this again. Look closely so that you will never make the same mistake."

And with that, Aro sat.

The two robed men quickly collapsed onto the burley man, ripping him neatly: precisely. The room had gone quite besides the sickening sound of stone being shredded and the noises of the man, his screams resounding like a bullet going through the forest of trees.

Finally, the robed men were done. They stepped back from the torn appendages and left without setting fire to the pieces and killing the vampire once and for all.

"And now we wait." Aro nodded towards the already twitching pieces, itching to reconstruct itself.

It took about twenty minutes for the body to fully reconnect its dismembered parts but we all stood there in silence, watching the while time in a stupor of fear, awe and disgust.

"You may leave." Marcus announced in his dead voice, once the body had almost completely rebuilt itself; his chilling tone shaking me more than any amount of vampire shreddings ever could.

**--END FLASHBACK--**

I pulled myself back to the present, and quickly filled Marcus in on how I had overcome my bloodlust, for the most part (which he enthusiastically congratulated me on) and how the twins had apparently known that I had almost killed this certain man and then actually killed him and left him on our property without being detected by us.

Marcus was silent most of the time.

"The only real problem I have is that the Cullen's want to fight them and I know they will lose! They have nothing on Jane and Alec, separate or combined. I am the only one impervious to them." I sighed, exasperated. "They just don't understand why they can't come with me."

"I wouldn't let you go alone either if I was there." Marcus said simply but I could hear the plans brewing just below the surface of his words.

"You are supposed to be helping me." I complained, not wanting to hear this. I wanted him to tell me that doing this on my own was okay.

"I know, I know," Marcus replied swiftly. "I think that you are right about having to do this alone but you do know that they will be pissed off at you, right? Beyond pissed, actually."

"Yeah that is why I am hesitant to do this…"

"But I think you need to do it, honestly. They are thinking with their hearts in this matter, which isn't a good thing. They need to think with their brains like we are meant to. Logic would make them realize that you are their safest bet and that they would only hinder the progress." Marcus laughed humorlessly on the other end.

"That is the problem." I leaned against something hard and slid down until my body was lying on the ground, my face upturned. "They know that they would loose miserably and most likely die in the process but they wont admit it. They just keep saying that they can 'take care of themselves' which is utter bull shit."

"I think you only have on choice in this matter, Bella."

"I know…"

"I know you don't want to do it but you need to." He said softly, his words soothing my nerves. "It is the only logical way."

"I just don't know how I am going to do this. Every second someone is watching because we are too afraid to let anyone out of our sights for more than a few seconds. They are all paranoid."

"Well I have an idea…"

And with those words, Marcus and I formulated a plan that was far from fool-proof but it definitely had potential. I just had to hope that all of the pieces fell into place and that I could pull it off without hitch.

The only major catch of the plan was this:

We had no idea where the twins were. They could still be in the general area, camping out in a cave in a mountain, but that was unlikely due to the fact that we hunted in those regions and they probably would want to risk detection.

That left the hills outside of the village which made the most sense due to their proximity to people—their food source or far down the river, closer to the city.

Either one was possible; plus, if I was able to get away from the Cullens, I wouldn't have time to search them both. I would have to make a quick decision and follow my gut and hope I was right or else the plan would be void.

I was nervous as I hung up the phone with wishes of luck from Marcus still ringing in my ears. The time was fast approaching and I knew what I had to do.

I had to protect my family.

* * *

A/N: Finally another Quote Hunt this chapter. It is from A Cursive Memory.

Oh, and no promises on when I will update next. I'm sorry if this bothers any of you but I seriously can't drop everything just to type up a chapter. I will try my hardest to find some free time and update before another month passes, but please, don't hold your breath.


	44. Flase Alarm

Difficult…

I love every single one of you. I hope you know that by now. And if you don't, well, now you know. However, I am busy busy busy. EVERYTHING is crazy right now and FanFiction is at the bottom of my rather lengthy To-Do List.

BUT! This is not me saying "I will never ever update again." That would be a lie. I have every intention of finishing. (Quite frankly, I would hate myself if I didn't finish.) But it might still be a while until I can get the next chapter out. (Christmas-ish?? Maybe? Don't hold your breath though…)

Anyways, I just wanted to drop in and say I'm sorry, I miss you all and to hang in there. :)

Maybe you can drop me a little review, let me know you are still reading or whatever. Who knows, it might inspire me to get down to business and actually write the next damn chapter (which is currently sitting in outline form.) Lol.

Much Love!!!

Cherette


End file.
